By Seth Gellman and Danny Kwon
Since its debut in September, Genshin Impact has amassed a dedicated playerbase of almost forty million active players. Part of what brings in these players are the 5 star characters. Headed by an intriguing story of mystery and betrayal, especially in the second act of the Liyue chapter, starring 5 star characters as Zhongli, Xiao, and Ganyu. Solely on mobile, these three Liyue featured characters brought in over $45.4 million in revenue for miHoYo.
These characters can be unlocked through the use of rolls. Rolls cost 160 primogems each. Primogems are in-game currency that can be unlocked without spending money on the game, but the number of rolls can increase drastically once money is spent. Players are guaranteed a 5 star character every 90 rolls per banner, in which there are three: the Character Banner, Weapon Banner, and Standard Banner, and a 4 star character every 10 rolls on any banner. The chances of rolling a 5 star drastically increasing at 75 rolls from 0.6% to 20% for every roll.
This involves a lot of challenges and activity to get a 5 star. Many players tout their ability to play for over several straight hours whether it be completing the Archon quests, time trials, or domain challenges, deeming it “The Grind.” Other players choose to spend money on this ruthless gacha system, a system that the fanbase have nicknamed “Whales.”
The thing that has kept so many players interested in the game constantly throughout updates has been the pity system that eventually guarantees a 5 star character or weapon as long as you keep on playing the game. This, however, may be going away soon. On Thursday, the official Genshin Impact announced a change to the 90 roll pity system due to the leaking of new content beta testers have revealed throughout social media platforms.
Many players are not content with this update. One player, named H3roGam3r8 on Twitter, attacked the move, calling it the “Dumbest decision by a company ever.” With Liyue character Chongyun as his profile picture, H3roGam3r8 is a dedicated player. According to his Twitter history, H3roGam3r8 has been playing for at least 72 days, and evidently Chongyun is his favorite player.
Another user, Garfield, criticized the move. In a tweet, Garfield complained that he was not able to get his favorite five star Venti, despite saving up 180 rolls and saving for over two months. Garfield ranted on Twitter, writing, “I hate this game. All this for what? Some random weapons? For a Skyward Pride?? I’m so sick of miHoYo’s scam practices. I’m done forever. Going back to GTA. Thanks miHoYo.” With 524,000 followers, others may be influenced as well.
The future of the game appears to be in jeopardy, and whether it will continue to be successful as the ability to get new characters is severely hampered. We wonder if miHoYo will be able to keep its once dedicated fanbase. Whether they will continue to be able to reach new heights is in question, and it will be interesting to keep an eye on.
