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MiHoYo gets government backing to turn Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact into anime movies

The move is part of a govt. initiative to transform Shanghai into a 'city of film'

MiHoYo gets government backing to turn Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact into anime movies
  • Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail are set to become animated films
  • Government backing has been granted to MiHoYo by Shanghai's local government
  • The move is to encourage film development and production in the city

Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail are set to become animated films, after new government backing was granted to developer MiHoYo. As first spotted by GamerBraves, the move is part of an initiative by Shanghai's local government to transform the Chinese city into a hub for film production and development. The new backing was granted after a visit to and research conducted at MiHoYo's headquarters in the city.

Although we don't know whether this government backing comes in the form of funding or merely an endorsement of MiHoYo's desire to turn their hit games into films, it's still a major step forwards. Government grants and backing are not unusual anywhere in the world, and are typically done in order to encourage the development of new industries that can fuel the local economy and create jobs.

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So, Honkai and Genshin are becoming films? It's not particularly surprising, in the nicest way possible. The games are already considered to be quite 'animesque' in their design and presentation, and with how popular anime is becoming across the world, as well as in major markets like China the time is very much right to transform their hit games into films that can be screened for a whole new audience.

As for what it means for Shanghai? Well, mobile game development is big-business in China, and so is film, with the country's film industry becoming even more gargantuan year-by-year. Putting their faith in an adaptation of already-existing hit games is a pretty surefire bet to promoting film in the city.

Genshin Impact also received a major new update in the form of version 4.6. Explore a whole new area in the form of the mysterious Submerged Empire and experience the new Bond of Life feature for even harder and more aggressive boss-fights.

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Iwan Morris
Iwan Morris
Iwan is a Cardiff-based freelance writer, who joined the Pocket Gamer Biz site fresh-faced from University before moving to the Pocketgamer.com editorial team in November of 2023.