Two weeks ago, Genshin Impact, a gacha game intended for consoles rather than mobile devices, was released. Since then, Genshin Impact profits have reached $100 million in those two weeks, with China, Japan, Korea, and the United States as the primary markets for the game, marketed as a Chinese Breath of the Wild.
Gacha games are games loaded with a large number of characters, who players can then attempt to gain through rolling in-game currency that’s either earned by playing the game or bought through real money. The genre name comes from the Japanese capsule toy vending machines, called “Gashapon.”
There are multiple popular gacha games that are currently available, including Fire Emblem: Heroes, Fate/Grand Order, Epic Seven, Arknights, Pokemon Masters, and more, all of which who are in similarly successful financial situations.
Genshin Impact puts the player in the role of one of a set of twins, the second of whom was imprisoned by an unknown god of the setting. The player must travel across the game world to free their sibling, while picking up a large number of other characters along the way.
Genshin Impact profits likely not only came from buying the game itself, but also the huge amounts of microtransactions used to roll for more characters, which is one of the main ways that gacha games make money. Of course, with the debate over microtransactions these days, this was also a great source of criticism.
Of course, that isn’t stopping any of the game’s players. Even before the game launched, 20 million people signed up to play it, and in its first four days the game was downloaded 17 million times. Depending on rarity, utility, and popularity, players can also spend more money rolling for certain characters.
All of the game’s profitability comes from these microtransactions as well, as Genshin Impact is free on all of its platforms. This still, however, makes it one of the most successful launches for an original property from a Chinese developer.
Genshin Impact profits will likely continue to rise in the future. If you’d like to play the game yourself and see what all the hubbub is about, you can download Genshin Impact for free on Playstation 4, PC, Android, and iOS devices.
