Hoyoverse, previously known as miHoYo, has delayed the 2.7 update for Genshin Impact, a free-to-play game available on most platforms, because of the lockdown in Shanghai (due to a Covid-19 outbreak), that has a population of 25 million people. Shanghai has been on a five-week lockdown, and as Hoyoverse’s workers cannot work because of the lockdown, the update for the game has been delayed. 

In a statement to Inverse, a gaming news publishing site, Hoyoverse said “Our team members in Shanghai have been working from home, trying our best to bring the following updates to fans and players as soon as possible…Meanwhile, we also hope to offer a mite of comfort to the local community with the supplies. And we would like to express our sincere gratitude for all the encouragement and support we’ve received during this special period”. 

In another Tweet, Hoyoverse announced that all players will receive in-game rewards every week until the release of the update. These rewards include 400 primogems (which can be used to wish for new characters), 1 Fragile Resin, 7 Hero’s Wits, 16 Mystic Enhancement Ores, and 120,000 Mora. As the delay continued, Hoyoverse has recognized that players will be bored with the lack of content and decided to release 3 events: Marvelous Merchandise (where travelers can trade materials for primogems), Overflowing Mastery, and Spice from the West (a new event where travelers can interact with in-game characters). Genshin Impact’s 2.7 Update delay also caused the delay of future updates as well, such as 2.8 , to be postponed (which further delays the release of new areas). 

Most of Genshin Impact’s community is supportive of Hoyoverse’s decision to delay the update for the sake of the health of many workers in Shanghai. Many players have taken a moment to wish the company well on social media platforms including Twitter. A player tweeted, “Take care Mihoyo – All of you — Like legit, y’all be starving and screaming it’s scary.” This company’s response to the lockdown, reminded some parts of the community that the health of employees are more important than future updates to videogames. 

Overall, the delay of the version 2.7 content update may be upsetting to some Genshin Impact players, considering Hoyoverse’s reputation with strict update schedules (an update every six weeks). Yet, with the new events/content and the extension of current banners, players can have more time to experience this current version and prepare for the upcoming characters.

A few days ago, Hoyoverse announced the release of version 2.7, which is assumed to be released on May 30, 2022. There are two new characters that will be released, Yelan (a five star bow user), and Kuki Shinobu (a four star sword user), along with the re-run banners of Xiao and Arataki Itto. There are also many new events coming out, along with a new Archon Quest, which will reveal more information about Genshin Impact’s lore.