Genshin Impact, a game that miHoYo has devoted all its efforts to, has quickly become one of the most popular card-drawing games on mobile platforms, consoles and PCs since its release. It has not only won the love of countless players with its unique charm, but also brought staggering development costs. Two years later, Genshin Impact has become the most expensive game ever, and miHoYo has invested about $500 million in the continued development of the game.
Before the release of Genshin Impact on September 28, 2020, the budget was only $100 million. However, this number has risen rapidly over time. In 2021, miHoYo announced that it would increase the annual budget of Genshin Impact from the initial $100 million to $200 million. If this budget is implemented, the total development cost of Genshin Impact will exceed $500 million by September 2022.
Currently, the game with the highest development cost, Star Citizen, tops the list with a development cost of more than $400 million, followed by Cyberpunk 2077, which has a development cost of $316 million. It can be seen that Genshin Impact will become the most expensive game ever by the end of 2023.
The success of “Genshin Impact” is inseparable from its continuous updates and innovations. It not only adds a large number of new characters and in-game events, but also brings players immersive experiences in different regions, such as Liyue and Inazuma. Server maintenance and studio expansion are also indispensable. Although the annual total revenue of “Genshin Impact” exceeds 3 billion US dollars, miHoYo has successfully attracted players’ continued investment and achieved considerable returns by continuously updating the game content.
The success of Genshin Impact proves that by constantly updating and adding new content, it can effectively attract players’ attention and investment, and further promote the development of the game. The launch of “Genshin Impact” version 3.0 will undoubtedly bring it more benefits.