Most gamers know HoYoverse best for its open-world RPG Genshin Impact. After all, this 2020 gacha game has stood the test of time, remaining popular to this day. But the developer has put out a couple of games since Genshin, and titles like 2023’s Honkai: Star Rail and 2024’s Zenless Zone Zero are popular in their own right. Though there are plenty of ongoing updates to enjoy in all currently supported HoYoverse games, fans can’t help but wonder what’s next. And now, a new job listing from MiHoyo might just give us some insight.
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Recently, gacha gamers spotted a new job posting from MiHoyo. While we know the developer as HoYoverse here in the U.S., they go by MiHoyo in China, where the developer is based. A translation of the new listing reveals some insight into the latest HoYoverse project, which has reportedly been in development since 2020. The recruitment details list the specifications a new hire for the project needs to have, and that means we can read between the lines for what HoYoverse hopes to accomplish with the new game. And it’s sounding quite a bit different from titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.
The project is described in the listing as “a brand-new urban world delivering a cinematic immersive experience.” This in and of itself isn’t too surprising. While Genshin is more of a fantasy vibe, recent titles like Zenless Zone Zero take on a more urban approach. But from there, some details certainly make this seem like it could be a new experiment from MiHoyo.
HoYoverse Seeks to Craft Narrative-Driven, Silky Smooth Urban Legend in New Game
With quite the list of job duties and qualifications, this posting is a lot to sift through. But a few details stand out more than others. “Flow” comes up at several points, from player experience to narrative to overall gameplay. It’s clear that the developer is looking for a seamless experience that pulls the player in. Using Unreal Engine 5, the project is noted to feature “a vibrant urban open world” and looks to create “an immersive solo experience” that also supports online interaction.
For many gamers, the job posting makes the new project from MiHoyo sound more like a traditional narrative-driven game and less like a gacha. With phrasing like “squeeze every last drop of hardware performance,” it is kind of hard to picture this new game as a mobile title. If the translation is accurate here, it sounds more like a cutting-edge release for modern gen consoles and the beefiest of gaming PCs.
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One thing that gamers can’t help but notice is that one of the tags used for the posting is “True Romance Simulation.” Given that romance is hinted at, at best, in previous HoYoverse games, this is raising some eyebrows. As one HoYo fan puts it, “I’d be surprised if there’s anything implied or even a hand-holding scene.” Given that this just one tag among many, it may not be a massive part of the game, but it could mean that a love story from HoYo is finally in the cards.
Projects like this tend to evolve over time. So, just because a particular goal or detail is present as MiHoyo looks to add new developers to its team doesn’t mean we’ll see them in the final product. In fact, the game in question might not even be the next game we see from HoYoverse. After all, the Star Rail Live concert teased a new Star Rail game that’s giving Pokemon vibes. Since HoYo is already ready to show off that project, it’s likely we could see the new Star Rail title well before whatever the studio is cooking up next.