Genshin Impact, oneof Android’s best gamesand animpeccable gacha, is turning three. Unlike the first anniversary back in 2021, no one’s pointing pitchforks at HoYoverse over this year’s celebration. But itdoesn’t mean everyone is gleaming with enthusiasm and excitementover Genshin Impact’s third birthday, either.
This year’s anniversary event marks the return of some iconic characters like Venti, the first Archon and limited character to arrive in Genshin Impact. The update also introduces a story and map expansion to Fontaine. Players will receive in-game mail rewards totaling up to 1,600 Primogems, 4 Fragile Resins, an Itty Bitty Octobaby pet, and a Portable Aerodynamic Gelatinous Bubble Generator gadget. Players will also see a rerun of the 7-day login event, giving 10 Intertwined Fates, 80,000 Mora, 8 Hero’s Wit, and 18 Mystic Enhancement Ore.
Genshin continues to stay trapped in a Samsara
Obtaining two extra ten-pulls, a gadget, and a floating pet as part of the “anniversary” rewards — does that all sound familiar? If you’ve been following the game for the last three years, the latest anniversary celebration feels like déjà vu. These were theexact same “gifts” that were sent last year, minus the gadget and pet (the 2022 rewards package included Jumpty Dumpty Party Popper and Cloud Retainer’s Damasked Device). And to add injury to insult, the developers barely acknowledged the anniversary during its first year,fueling the community with anger and disgust. Fallen Qiqi emojis were spreading virally on the official Discord, and players were review-bombing Google Classroom, Roblox, and even Honkai Impact 3rd, all to protest against HoYoverse’s anniversary treatment. Fortunately, this outrage didn’t fall on deaf ears;HoYoverse publicly apologized to the community, which included repackaging the paid concert bundle into four “gifts” mailed in-game. So, really, those ten extra pulls and attached trinkets weren’t exactly born out of goodwill; they were mostly for damage control.
Traditionally,gacha gameslove to celebrate anniversaries. You will see colorful ads promoting the anniversary celebration and a new app icon. Most celebrations include extra gacha currency, additional banner rates, and exclusive events that might drop free units, cosmetics, or weapons. Some games even celebrate half-anniversaries to further milk their player base for even more cash. However, despite these traditions, HoYoverse has shown no interest in hopping on this trend. Instead, the multi-billion dollar company will continue to recycle old rewards.
Genshin takes’if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it' far too seriously
Unfortunately, Genshin Impact seems to be heading into a stagnant phase. Its successful younger sibling,Honkai Impact: Star Rail, steadily brings in new systems in every version, including a highly sought-after event replay mode, Conventional Memoir (exclusive to Star Rail).
So where does that leave Genshin Impact in 2023? Sadly, despite its continuous success at making money, the game feels like it is at a standstill. It reruns similar iterations of in-game events every patch, while the first two (or three) updates always finish the region’s story. Sometimes, an Interlude chapter gets thrown into the middle of the version. At this point, Genshin Impact seems unwilling to change, which ironically reflects this year’s lackluster anniversary.
But that’s not to say that Genshin Impact doesn’t deserve due praise for what it has accomplished over its lifetime. It has become one of the most successful video games in history; it was almost unheard of for a gacha game to compete with the top dogs in gaming. HoYoverse is now a name that most people know globally, and this company aims to fully take over the gacha market with all its current and upcoming IPs. The journey from Sumeru to Fontaine in the last year has been wild (and emotional). Looking back to where the game is now, Genshin Impact has reachedover 70 playable charactersand will only continue to pour out more.
If you’re willing to grit your teeth through Genshin’s rigidity, grab the download for yourAndroid gaming phonebelow.
