Rumor: Genshin Impact Dev Chinese Trademark Hints at Next Game

gamerant.com:

A new trademark filed with the Chinese government and a new Bilibili channel could be hinting at Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse's next new game. While HoYoverse has been making games for several years, previously seeing success with Honkai Impact 3rd, the launch of Genshin Impact in 2020 took the world by storm. Genshin Impact achieved massive success with tens of millions of players, with the developer later seeing similar success with last year's Honkai: Star Rail. Now, HoYoverse's next new game may be getting its first official reveal in the near future.

While Genshin Impact saw HoYoverse's greatest success, the developer has been busy in the years since the game's debut. Alongside the previously-mentioned Honkai: Star Rail, the Chinese developer has heavily teased Zenless Zone Zero as a new action RPG, already featuring multiple beta tests. Leaks from HoYoverse last year also suggested that the developer is working on an Animal Crossing-esque game as its newest project. Now, new updates suggest that HoYoverse could be preparing to officially reveal the rumored life simulation game.

A recent update shared by prominent HoYoverse leaker hxg_diluc reveals that HoYoverse has officially filed a trademark for a new game with the Chinese government. According to the post, the title roughly translates to «Starry Sky Valley,» speculated to be the previously-mentioned Animal Crossing-like game. The post also reveals that an account on Chinese streaming website Bilibili was registered with the same name, suggesting the developer may be preparing for a new reveal to come. HoYoverse has yet to officially announce the life simulation game in any capacity.

While no official information has been shared by HoYoverse about the life simulation game, the game's existence was part of a batch of massive leaks released last year. The leaks saw much of Genshin Impact's in-development content for the Fontaine region leaked, including several character designs, in-game maps, and more.