Friends, the inevitable has finally happened. After becoming a bonafide global sensation upon its release in 2020, HoYoverse’s open-world, gacha-based action RPG Genshin Impact is getting an anime adaptation. To make a big story even bigger, there’s the matter of which studio is providing its services. Because the anime studio in question is ufotable, which is presently famous for its much-heralded adaption of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba.
Given Genshin‘s anime aesthetic, I often find it necessary to remind the uninitiated that Genshin wasn’t produced by a Japanese studio. HoYoverse is based in China. So that’s a nice — and honestly refreshing — bit of international cooperation, eh? Somewhat ironically, the second season of Demon Slayer was censored a bit in China.
From the trailer’s treatment of the announcement, it seems the so-called “long-term project” is the product of a collaboration between ufotable and HoYoverse. My assumption here is that HoYoverse will be heavily involved in the series’ production and storyline, which is excellent news for fans of the game. Especially since the trailer closes out on a rather shocking image: the twins Lumine and Aether, side by side, hands conjoined, expressions slightly alarmingly neutral. For those unfamiliar with the story of Genshin Impact and are here for the ufotable glory (which, admittedly, includes the writer of this article): players decide between Lumine and Aether upon their separation at the very beginning of the game, and the main plot of Genshin is to find the one you ditched. Or, rather, who was seemingly captured by a rather mean goddess.
Naturally, the trailer also includes a cameo from Paimon, in-game guide and real-world meme factory. Otherwise, we’re simply treated to teasing glances of some jaw-droppingly gorgeous landscapes from Genshin‘s vast open-world.
ufotable hasn’t publicly announced any new projects other than Demon Slayer since that series skyrocketed into global fame, adoration, and acclaim. After all, the Demon Slayer film, Mugen Train, absolutely slaughtered records both within Japan and abroad: it was the first time in cinema history that a film not produced in Hollywood was the highest grossing film of the year, globally. So from that angle, too, ufotable deciding to follow up all that success with an adaptation of a recent, beloved game is a huge deal.
Given the whole “long-term project” line, it seems like this anime’s premiere is very far down the road. A bummer, for sure. But the anime season immediately upon us is quite possibly one of the best ever, so that’s hopefully of some comfort.
Image credit: HoYoverse / ufotable
