miHoYo, the developer of Genshin, Honkai: Starrail, and other gacha titles, has released a teaser video for its upcoming Unreal Engine 5 project. As you might have guessed, it’s a fantasy MMO that utilizes AI.
Discovered by ResetEra users, miHoYo’s recruitment department posted a video and additional project information on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform). The post lists many important features of the game, including MMO, PvP, open world, “Artificial Intelligence Stimulating Ecosystem,” all-terrain combat AI, and “intelligent NPCs.”
Please note that these have been translated and the exact wording should be taken with a grain of salt. However, this does provide some insight into one of miHoYo’s big upcoming projects. First of all, what is immediately clear from this post is that the aesthetic of this mysterious new project is not miHoYo’s typical anime style. Instead, we see clear traces of Unreal Engine 5.
Manage cookie settings
What may raise some eyebrows is the mention of AI. miHoYo has used AI in the past to “smooth out” the development process with Zenless Zone Zero. The company has previously drawn the line when it comes to AI art and audio productions, insisting that contracts include AI audio protections when a contractual dispute results in a recasting of SAGAFTRA members.
This post appears to signal a continuation of miHoYo’s approach to AI in game development, but clearly the full extent of its use remains unknown. We don’t know the name of the game, we don’t know when it will be released, we don’t know what the gameplay will actually be like… there’s a big question mark over the company’s lineup at the moment.
What’s not a mystery are some of the other games miHoYo is working on, including a monster collection game called Honkai: Nexus Anima. For now, we’ll just have to wait patiently for more information about this new project.
