Tag: Hoyoverse
News Honkai: Star Rail's Best Combat Event Returns in Massive Upcoming PS5 Update
Legend of the Galactic Baseballer is back
As a turn-based game, Honkai: Star Rail is always finding interesting ways to reinvent its combat system. This aspect of the HoYoverse outing is underrated, and while some modes are better than others, we really liked the Legend of the Galactic Baseballer from a few updates ago. This mode was presented as a...
News Genshin Impact Players Must Verify Their Age or Risk Losing All Their Progress on PS5, PS4
Fail to comply and your account could get deleted
Due to government rulings, Genshin Impact players in the US will now need to verify their age or risk losing access to their account forever. A recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruling concluded that the juggernaut gacha game is “misleading” children over the true cost of its characters. Fo
News Honkai: Star Rail Maker Teases Pokémon-Style Spin-Off
Gotta gacha ‘em all
That sound you can hear is Nintendo’s legal team tightening its collective belts. It’s going to take a whole lot more muscle to go head-to-head with Chinese titan HoYoverse than Palworld maker Pocket Pair, however. The company has announced a third game in the Honkai franchise, which looks from the trailer like a...
Available from 11th July
After being announced an eternity ago, Honkai: Star Rail has finally revealed its first crossover content with Fate/Stay Night. The characters available from the legendary Type-Moon visual novel, which has had versions on both the PS2 and PS Vita, include: Archer (The Hunt, Quantum) Saber (Destruc
News One of the Biggest PS5, PS4 Games Appears to Be on the Cusp of Massive Change
Genshin Impact devs give rare insight into the future
Make no mistake about it: Genshin Impact pioneered the current gaming climate. Without it, we wouldn’t have juggernauts like Wuthering Waves, Honkai: Star Rail, Infinity Nikki, and Zenless Zone Zero on the PS5. But being the frontrunner means newcomers have been able to stand on its shoulders,...
News Genshin Impact Goes Theme Park in Colossal PS5, PS4 Update
Manage Fontaine's finest amusement park
Our favourite events in HoYoverse’s gacha games are the ones where you get to temporarily do a bit of business management, so you can bet Genshin Impact’s new amusement park minigame is going to bring us back to Teyvat. While the highlight for most players will surely be the new Archon Quest Interlude –...
News Zenless Zone Zero's Wise-Cracking Protagonists Get Affordable Statues
You've gotta have Phaethon
There are video game collectibles that basically break the bank, like the new hyper-realistic Stellar Blade models – and then there are actually affordable ones. Pop Up Parade has built its business around offering high quality figurines which the average consumer can actually afford, and it’s just opened pre-orders...
News PS5's Zenless Zone Zero Adds a Parasol Wielding Waifu, Here's the Latest Redemption Code
Hugo boss
Zenless Zone Zero is definitely treading water ahead of its massive v2.0 seasonal overhaul, so cut it some slack while it recycles some content in v1.7, which is launching on 23rd April. Before we get into all of the details, you’ll probably want to redeem the newest redemption code, which will expire on 13th April. It is as follows:...
News You Will Want This Stunning Honkai: Star Rail Art Book
Free for Chinese players who fulfil certain gameplay conditions
HoYoverse is releasing a gorgeous commemorative Honkai: Star Rail art book ahead of the game’s second anniversary, and players in mainland China can actually obtain it for free. The hardback book includes tons of artwork from the game, including character renders, concepts, and...
News Zenless Zone Zero Planning a Sequel Sized Update for PS5 Fave's First Anniversary
Gacha get up-to-date
Zenless Zone Zero’s massive v2.0 update will be arriving just in time for the game’s first anniversary, and it looks set to shake up the gacha in an impressive way. As part of an epic info drop, HoYoverse has announced that the main storyline will take Phaethon to the Waifei Peniunsula – and yes, we can already see users...
News Zenless Zone Zero's PS5 Console Exclusivity Is Coming to an End
Zen there was none
Sony had dibs on HoYoverse’s hottest new urban action RPG Zenless Zone Zero, but the title’s period of PS5 console exclusivity is coming to an end. After originally teasing an Xbox release in what many interpreted as an April Fool’s Day joke, now the Chinese developer has announced a livestream where it’ll officially...
Interview Inside Honkai: Star Rail - PS5's Biggest and Most Ambitious Live Service RPG
A deep dive into HoYoverse's huge hit ahead of its second anniversary
With the second anniversary of Honkai: Star Rail mere weeks away, we had the opportunity to reflect on one of the PS5’s most successful live service efforts with Lead Game Designer Chengnan An at GDC in San Francisco last month. Our interview was wide-ranging, digging into the...
News PS5 RPG Honkai: Star Rail Celebrates Its Anniversary with an Abundance of Free Pulls
Old favourites getting big buffs in the future
Believe it or not, juggernaut turn-based RPG Honkai: Star Rail will celebrate its second anniversary next month – and it’ll be marking the occasion with an abundance of free pulls. Fans will be able to earn 20 Star Rail Special Passes just for logging in, while you’ll be able to pick a companion...
News Genshin Impact Community in Flames as English Cast Turn on New Voice Actor
"This is diabolical"
We reported recently how two Zenless Zone Zero actors were replaced without prior knowledge, as they held back their services due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, where performers are seeking protection from their employers against AI exploitation. Now it’s Genshin Impact’s time to make the headlines, as a slew of...
Random Everyone's Talking About Cats' Testicles in Zenless Zone Zero on PS5
Even they jiggle now, too
Zenless Zone Zero is notorious for its, shall we say, buoyant anatomy. In a recent update for the HoYoverse gacha, there was controversy when the developer made it more difficult to peek up characters’ skirts. That decision was quickly reversed. Now everyone’s talking about the mog’s bollocks – credit to
News As War on AI Rages, Two Zenless Zone Zero Stars Say They Were Replaced Without Prior Notice
Recast and removed
Two actors from gargantuan HoYoverse gacha Zenless Zone Zero say they found out about their replacements when patch notes for the game dropped alongside its latest update this week. Soldier 11 star Emeri Chase and Lycaon actor Nicholas Thurkettle have had all of their voice lines removed from the game and re-recorded by new...
News Launch Day Character Anby Gets a Makeover in Mega Zenless Zone Zero PS5 Update
Anby go again
It’s hard to find a hook for the latest Zenless Zone Zero update, because in reality this is just more of a very, very fun gacha game. But we suppose the biggest story is that Anby, the burger loving launch day character who appears on the game’s PS5 game tile, is getting a makeover. The character will be upgraded to a 5-Star in...
News Honkai: Star Rail's Adventures in Amphoreus Continue in Next PS5 Update
Titan time
For those of you who didn’t get a chance to play Honkai: Star Rail’s new Amphoreus update, it’s effectively an epic 10-hour JRPG storyline set against a loosely European-inspired backdrop involving multiple deities and an impending cataclysmic event. And that’s just part one of a plot that’s scheduled to run all year long. The...
News Honkai: Star Rail May Be Planning to Buff Older Characters in Upcoming PS5 Update
Power creep freak
Power creep is phrase that may be familiar to those of you who play live service gacha games. The idea is that older characters slowly get outperformed by newer ones, as developers aim to keep you spending on your roster. This means that, unless you’re investing heavily, it can become difficult to complete endgame content, as...
News The Traveler Takes to the Bathhouse in Light Genshin Impact Update on PS5, PS4
And breathe
Genshin Impact’s big Natlan storyline is largely over, so v5.4 is a lighter update overall. Due out on 12th February, you can look forward to a trip to the bathhouse, a bunch of minigames, and a new experimental event featuring some slice of life events from all over Teyvat. We suppose the highlight here is the addition of Yumemizuki...
News Genshin Impact Maker to Pay $20 Million FTC Fine Over Gacha System
As part of "commitment to transparency"
Genshin Impact maker Cognosphere – which conducts business as HoYoverse – has agreed to pay a $20 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), settling a case which alleges it’s misleading children over the true cost of obtaining rare gacha rewards. The action RPG, which first launched on PS4 in...
News Zenless Zone Zero Maintains Momentum with Massive PS5 Update
Astranomical
The previous Zenless Zone Zero update, v1.4, was pitched as a kind of soft reboot for the hit gacha game – and it was an enormous success. In addition to reworking the opening chapters of the campaign, it also introduced an epic story quest, centring on hugely popular Agent Miyabi. Now the HoYoverse team, fresh from topping gacha...
News Honkai: Star Rail's Biggest Ever PS5 Update Will Start a Year-Long Storyline
Amphoreus is almost here
Honkai: Star Rail’s anticipated v3.0 update will launch on 15th January, bringing with it a new location named Amphoreus and a fresh storyline. Said plot will be split into an enormous eight parts and will run all year. Let’s hope it’s good, eh? We won’t get into the full extent of the lore here – you can watch...
The eternal land awaits
Need sobering up after a late night of New Year festivities? HoYoverse should have the goods, as it reveals Honkai: Star Rail’s next major destination, Amphoreus. A livestream, named Paean of Nova Era, will air on 1st January. The life of a gacha game is filled with regular updates, but every year or so, titles receive...
News We're Getting Closer and Closer to That Genshin Impact Anime
Animated shorts keep coming
Years and years ago, HoYoverse announced a Genshin Impact anime, which fans are still waiting to watch. There’s been no real update on the project, and many have assumed it’s now on hiatus. However, that’s not stopped the Chinese studio from starting to make more and more anime shorts to promote upcoming updates...
News Genshin Impact's New Best Girl Rides a Motorcycle Through Teyvat on PS5, PS4
Tons to look forward to in next major update
Natlan’s main storyline will come to a conclusion in Genshin Impact’s next enormous update, scheduled to release on 1st January for both PS5 and PS4. The new content will make the motorcycle riding Pyro Archon, Mauvika, playable for the first time. She’ll headline the first phase of the banner,...
News Zenless Zone Zero Dev Fixes Fading Upskirts in Under 24 Hours
The gooners gonna be alright
A big new Zenless Zone Zero update is available today, but discussion is not being dominated by the free S-Rank agent or new storyline structure. Reddit is instead overrun by complaints that you can no longer peek at panties. <related ids="175658"> The official patch notes point out that “when viewed from...
News HoYoverse Teases What's Next for PS5 Gacha Hits Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero
Lots to look forward to
Two new trailers for PS5 gacha sensations Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero were released during The Game Awards, although for some reason Chinese juggernaut HoYoverse has failed to share the videos on its official channels. Nevertheless, we’ve sourced a couple of mirrors for you to watch. First up is a new look...
News Zenless Zone Zero's Next PS5 Update Transforms the Flow of the Game
And adds more events than you can imagine
We liked Zenless Zone Zero a lot when it launched in July, and we’ve stuck with it in the five or so months since. But HoYoverse said it was committed to fan feedback, and it wasn’t kidding – it’s effectively transformed the game in the five or so months since. <related ids="175658"> One...
Interview How Zenless Zone Zero's Devs Have Leveraged Fan Feedback to Level Up the PS5 Gacha Game
And how it's taking full advantage of PS5 Pro
It’s been almost six months since Zenless Zone Zero debuted on PS5, and in that time it’s got through a total transformation. HoYoverse, arguably one of the most reactive devs in the industry, has been iterating on the urban RPG at a remarkable rate, transforming the experience update-by-update in...
News Honkai: Star Rail Teases Enormous Amphoreus Story Update for PS5
Travel to a new planet early next year
Honkai: Star Rail has been spinning its wheels for several updates now, but we’re finally on the home straight before major single player update Amphoreus arrives. Fans of the game will know the Nameless selected the planet as its next Trailblazing expedition earlier in the year, and here’s our very first...
News Genshin Impact's Already Enormous Open World Grows Even Bigger in New PS5, PS4 Update
Find time
Genshin Impact’s life-consuming campaign will add an enormous influx of content with its v5.2 update, due out on 20th November. As we’re still deep in the Natlan arc, this will add several new environments to the map, where you’ll be able to hang with new tribes and “investigate a mysterious accident” as part of the latest event...
News Gigantic Zenless Zone Zero PS5 Update Brings More Wallet-Busting Waifus, Tons of Events
Zzz not possible with these updates
In terms of content, we’ve never seen anything quite like Zenless Zone Zero. While the initial launch of Honkai: Star Rail was no slouch, developer HoYoverse is really putting in the overtime with its urban fantasy RPG, as there’s simply an insane amount of things to do in the upcoming v1.3, which will launch...
Gallery That One Time We Visited Honkai: Star Rail's Penacony
May the journey lead us starward
Forgive us readers, for the life of a Trailblazer is one full of cosmic exploration and sometimes we forget to document our adventures. Or, in other words, this year has been a bit of a rollercoaster and we’re only just getting around to writing this. But, with the new Honkai: Star Rail update taking players back...
Plus, become a band manager
The next Honkai: Star Rail update will mercifully move on from the Xianzhou Luofu, and take Trailblazers back to the more vibrant dream world, Penacony. Due out on 23rd October, v2.3 will introduce the Paperfold University, a prestigious academic academy “bustling with activity as it prepares for a new semester and its...
News Genshin Impact's Big New PS5, PS4 Story Has Been Downgraded in English
No voice acting for key characters
Those of you enjoying your adventure in Natlan, the newest region added to Genshin Impact, will have to do so without voice acting – as it’s speculated the ongoing strikes involving union SAG-AFTRA mean some of the characters in the latest story update are lacking their English dub. Chinese juggernaut HoYoverse...
News Genshin Impact's Rollerblading Waifu Will Bankrupt Whales on PS5, PS4
Update out on 9th October
Genshin Impact’s character designs are always on point, but they don’t really get much cooler than Natlan newcomer Xilonen – a musical master forger with rollerblades. Like many of her regional counterparts, there’s a big emphasis on traversal with this character, and she can use her wheeled shoes to skate up...
News Biker Babes and Minigames Front PS5 Favourite Zenless Zone Zero's New Update
The ride of your life
God, these Zenless Zone Zero updates are epic at the moment. While we’re used to the unfathomable scale of HoYoverse’s games, we’re overawed by the sheer amount of events and activities the Chinese titan is adding to its urban fantasy RPG. The latest patch, Tour de Inferno, is coming on 25th September – and honestly,...
News This May Be the Most Pointless Boxed PS5 Game Ever
A real Trailblazer
Chinese juggernaut HoYoverse will flog a boxed copy of Honkai: Star Rail – despite the game being free-to-play and updated almost weekly. The retail release will come with some collectibles for fans, including nine gilded holographic character art cards, two chibi Trailblazer keyrings, a postcard, and some in-game items. This...
Life on the Luofu
Unlike Genshin Impact, which just received its massive new sequel-sized update, Honkai: Star Rail is padding time ahead of its next important story update. That’s brought the Trailblazer back to the Xianzhou Luofu, where they’re currently dealing with a prison break involving a particularly problematic enemy. That storyline...
News Genshin Impact's Sequel-Sized Natlan Expansion Is Out Now on PS5, PS4
A whole new world
If gacha game Genshin Impact wasn’t a live service, it’d be on its fourth or fifth sequel by now. Of course, HoYoverse has instead opted for an ever-expanding open world, which is up there with the biggest you’ll find on PS5 and PS4 these days. And today it’s got even bigger, with the release of the Pyro region, Natlan...
News Fate/Stay Night's Archer Looks Like a Lock for PS5 RPG Honkai: Star Rail
Bullseye
HoYoverse has boarded the hype train early for its Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works crossover, as it’s not set to launch for another year. But this new Honkai: Star Rail trailer – largely designed to tease impending original character Feixiao – is filled with Easter eggs, suggesting that Archer will be the PS5 RPG’s first...
News Popular Free PS5 Action RPG Zenless Zone Zero Teases New Region in Trailer
Back to the Wild Wild West
The fun never stops with HoYoverse, to be honest. If you’re playing any one of its three PS5 games – regardless of whether it’s Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, or Zenless Zone Zero – there’s always something new to look forward to. And while this trailer for the studio’s urban fantasy action RPG leans...
News Genshin Impact Boss Cries on Stage Following Harsh Fan Feedback
"We're just like you"
Liu Wei, better known to HoYoverse fans as Da Wei, is a billionaire – but that hasn’t stopped him from weeping like a baby on stage at a recent fanfest in Shanghai. While most company executives quietly pull the strings from their Ivory Towers, the boss of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail is surprisingly forward-facing,...
News Two New Waifus, Selfies, and a Ton of Events Front Zenless Zone Zero's First PS5 Update
City livin'
Zenless Zone Zero has been out for almost a month now, and while it launched with a dozen characters and three full story chapters, it’s time to learn what’s next for the free-to-play RPG. During a livestream earlier today, developer HoYoverse spilled the figurative beans on the ‘Undercover R&B’ update, which is scheduled to...
News What's Next for PS5 Smash Hit Action RPG Zenless Zone Zero?
All will be revealed this week
Those unfamiliar with the cadence of HoYoverse updates may be wondering what’s next for Zenless Zone Zero, which launched earlier in the month. Well, we’ll find out on 3rd August, as the game’s first proper post-release Special Program will get underway from 12:30PM BST. The broadcast will air on YouTube and...
News PS5 RPG Honkai: Star Rail Is Sponsoring the Paris Olympics in USA
Sign of the times
Want to know how big turnbased PS5 RPG Honkai: Star Rail is? It’s sponsoring NBC’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics. We first saw images from the American television channel earlier today featuring the game’s logo, but now an X (or Twitter) account which specialises in gacha gaming has posted the full commercial. You can...
News Urban RPG Zenless Zone Zero Is Totting Up Tons of PS5 Playtime
Breaks top ten most played in USA
The First Descendant isn’t the only free-to-play game performing extraordinarily well on PS5, because HoYoverse’s urban RPG Zenless Zone Zero is also trending incredibly well according to Circana data. For the week ending 13th July, the gacha game was the tenth most played title on PlayStation platforms in the...
News Boba, Bare Feet, and Bins Headline Honkai: Star Rail's Big PS5 Update
A return to the Xianzhou Luofu
The next major Honkai: Star Rail update is coming 31st July, and it’s taking the Trailblazer back to the Xianzhou Luofu. Yeah, we know, we didn’t like the story much there either – but there’s an opportunity to start afresh here, as the Wardance Ceremony gets underway. This storyline is set to span two full...
News Free-to-Play Phenomenon Genshin Impact Gets Its Own PS5 Console Bundle in Japan
Impact
PlayStation has a long history of bundling its consoles with blockbuster games, and it's certainly not afraid of releasing region-specific bundles that are designed to appeal directly to key markets. For example, it's partnered with EA Sports on a bunch of European packages in the past, shipping the PS4 with select FIFA titles. It's...
