Despite Genshin Impact being a single-player PvE game, some individuals still resort to cheating. In response to this issue, HoYoverse has decided to crack down on Chinese cheat sellers. According to ChinaZ, the company collaborated with law enforcement to dismantle several criminal gangs suspected of producing and selling cheats for Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd. The operation lasted over six months, resulting in the arrest of 32 suspects, with 25 placed under detention. HoYoverse also shut down 27 Taobao stores and confiscated assets worth over one million RMB.
This operation is not HoYoverse’s first effort to crack down on such crimes. Since launching its specialized rights protection initiative, the company has dismantled various groups involved in producing and selling Genshin Impact cheats and counterfeit merchandise.
In July 2023, HoYoverse shut down several counterfeit merchandise operations. The case involved over 100 million RMB, with law enforcement seizing over 30,000 fake products and components. It was considered the largest counterfeit gaming merchandise case cracked by law enforcement in 2023.
The developer of Genshin Impact has maintained a zero-tolerance stance, consistently cracking down on infringements such as pirated merchandise, cheats, private servers, and information leaks. The company also plans to adopt a more proactive and aggressive approach, targeting the ‘black and gray markets’ in the gaming industry.
Most fans responded positively to this news, with many supporting HoYoverse’s aggressive approach toward Genshin Impact cheat sellers. Some expressed confusion about why anyone would feel the need to cheat in a single-player game. Others pointed out that these cheat sellers might use cheats to quickly farm Primogems from treasure chests, allowing them to acquire the premium currency and sell fresh accounts to customers.
“Well, can’t blame em,” one Redditor commented. “After all, they kinda give you the game for free because they hope you will at least earn all the collected resources, either via time or money and private servers kinda just go around that part and give everything for free if I understand them right.” Other fans commented that, while HoYoverse is aggressive toward cheat sellers, it is unlikely that the company would target individual cheaters.
