Genshin Impact creator sues cheat makers (plus, a new playable Geo Character is coming in March)

3,000 years ago, when we played “Age of Empires II”, sometimes we’d just type “how do you turn this on” and a Shelby Cobra car, equipped with a machine gun, appeared out of the blue. That’s very helpful, especially when your opponents are stuck in the Tool or the Bronze Age with horse carriages, bows and arrows to defend themselves.

Cheating (in video games), of course, can be fun only for a while – then it becomes a drag. HoYoverse, creator of the insanely popular mobile game Genshin Impact, for example, is sick of the cheaters and is taking matters to court (via Gizmochina).

Genshin Impact has seen its fair share of cheaters who gain an unfair advantage through unallowed tools and now, the game’s developers are taking a stand and suing cheat creators Joaquin Soarin and others in a Canadian court.

The lawsuit accuses Soarin and his associates of copyright infringement for developing and distributing cheating tools like Akebi GC, Acrepi, and Genshin XYZ, which grant users advantages such as rapid progression and bypassing purchase prompts, thus undermining fair play.

HoYoverse contends that these cheats disrupt the game balance, tarnish their reputation, and incur financial losses, prompting the company to invest resources in detecting and banning cheaters and developing patches. The claim is to recover damages exceeding $50,000, the lawsuit targets Soarin and other defendants.

A new player enters the game

Another Gizmochina report reads that in mid-March 2024, with the Genshin Impact 4.5 update, a new playable character will enter the arena. It’s called Chiori, a 5-star Geo character promising to bring a fresh gameplay experience with off-field damage abilities, enhanced mobility, and a unique combat style.

According to the Genshin Impact Wiki, Chiori was introduced as an NPC in Version 4.3 and was first mentioned by another character in Version 3.7.

It’s expected that Chiori will wear an elegant Inazuman outfit and excel in Geo damage using twin blades. Her exclusive weapon, Urakugo Sensai, enhances her off-field damage, making her valuable in Mono-Geo teams. Chiori’s standout feature is her elemental skill, “Fluttering Hasode,” which summons little dolls to attack enemies, scaling their damage based on both ATK and DEF stats.