The men behind Genshin Impact, touted as the biggest ever global launch of a Chinese game, have made no secret of targeting otakus – a Japanese term for male geeks who are socially awkward with limited romantic lives, and who are often diehard fans of games or anime featuring “cute” or “sexy” female characters.
The slogan for Shanghai-based miHoYo, the company they founded: “tech otakus save the world”. And Cai Haoyu, co-founder and president of Genshin Impact creator miHoYo, has identified as a bona fide otaku himself.