Games

HoYoverse’s GTA-inspired open-world game ‘Project Shanghai’ is more ambitious than Genshin Impact

BBG News

Story Highlights

  • HoYoverse is reportedly developing a new open-world game inspired by titles like Grand Theft Auto.
  • Codenamed Project Shanghai, the game is said to be more ambitious than Genshin Impact.
  • A 23% drop in mobile revenue in 2024 has pushed HoYoverse to explore new, riskier genres.

HoYoverse appears to be developing a new open-world game, known as Project Shanghai. At the moment, we don’t have any details to disclose, but it seems this game is inspired by Grand Theft Auto series and is expected to be more ambitious than their popular title, Genshin Impact.

Apart from Project Shanghai, HoYoverse is also working on several multiple-genre projects

Based on a Bloomberg article, the game seems to be influenced by popular Western open-world games such as Grand Theft Auto, but it’s yet unclear if it will adopt a realistic visual aesthetic or continue with the distinctive anime art style that HoYoverse has consistently used.

HoYoverse gained recognition through captivating anime-styled fantasy games such as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero. However, the studio finds itself in a challenging predicament. Further insights from the report suggest that each new game appears to be drawing players away from their earlier creations, resulting in a reported 23% decrease in mobile revenue in 2024.

HoYoverse is venturing into less conventional and diverse gaming categories, one example being Project Shanghai. This project will be spearheaded by developers who previously worked at prominent Western studios such as Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. It’s worth mentioning that this game has been restarted on two occasions, according to ex-employees.

In case you recall, job vacancies at HoYoverse hinted towards multiple upcoming projects, which span from a team-based shooting game and virtual community builder to an exploration-focused space survival game. Although many are still in the planning phase, it’s evident that the studio is reaching for new horizons beyond its traditional gacha RPG foundation.

Considering the vast market that Genshin Impact has tapped into, it’s highly likely that Project Shanghai will also be a blockbuster from HoYoverse. Modern mobile games have shown they can manage larger titles quite well, so I’m eagerly anticipating another grand game from them, brimming with fun and excitement, much like the Grand Theft Auto series.

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2025-05-14 19:03

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