A recent leak from Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse reveals the studio may be working on an Animal Crossing-like game as its next major project. While many fans will recognize HoYoverse as the developer of the massively successful Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, the studio has several other successful games in its lineup. HoYoverse has been supporting Honkai Impact 3rd for seven years since its initial Chinese launch in 2016 and debuted visual novel adventure game Tears of Themis in 2020. Now, the developer is reportedly taking inspiration from a popular Nintendo franchise for its next project.Since the release of the initial Animal Crossing on the GameCube more than two decades ago, the easygoing franchise has grown into one of Nintendo's most beloved properties. Each new console released by Nintendo has eventually been joined by its own exclusive Animal Crossing title. The most recent game in the franchise, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, also proved to be the franchise's most successful, becoming the second best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch. Now, HoYoverse is reportedly looking to capture the franchise's magic with a new project. A leak shared by Twitch streamer SipSipStefen first revealed screenshots of the new HoYoverse game earlier this week, tentatively referring to it as "HoYoworld." While an official title has not been revealed, the new project is said to be a life simulation game meant to stand as a direct competitor to Animal Crossing. The tweet would share images of the new game, though the images would end up being removed due to a copyright claim. A life simulation game from HoYoverse would be the first of its kind from the Genshin Impact developer, primarily focusing on RPGs previously.
While little information was shared about the details of the game, HoYoverse has often been credited with taking inspiration from some of Nintendo's most popular games. Genshin Impact's initial reveal and gameplay were heavily likened to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with some even initially calling it a clone of the Zelda game. The RPG has also featured some events and mini-games inspired by Nintendo franchises, like its Pokemon-inspired "Fabulous Fungi Frenzy" event.
A new HoYoverse game inspired by Animal Crossing would look to further solidify the developer as one of the top studios in the modern gaming industry. Genshin Impact became a roaring success for the company following its debut, with its gacha banners regularly earning tens of millions in China alone. Honkai: Star Rail debuted with similar fanfare to its predecessor, toppling pre-registration records set by Genshin Impact. HoYoverse's potential new simulation game would add another highly-anticipated game to its already strong repertoire.
Source: Dexerto