The Chinese original game “Genshin Impact” has achieved tremendous success both domestically and internationally, not only attracting countless players with its exquisite visuals and rich plots, but also its music serving as another highlight. Multiple game tracks such as “Liyue,” “Meditation in the White Snow,” and “Swift as a Fire” were selected for the Beijing Winter Olympics music library in 2022. The total number of views for six “Genshin Impact” online concerts on Bilibili website exceeds 28 million, while on the YouTube English channel, the total number of views surpasses 29 million. “Genshin Impact” not only showcases contemporary Chinese elements to a global youth audience, but also allows different cultural and regional groups to experience “listening to the same music and seeing different worlds.”
Italian game composer Alex Mucarola praises the music of “Genshin Impact” immensely, expressing his admiration for the music team of the game’s developer, HOYO-MiX, saying, “I believe that HOYO-MiX has done a great job. They have drawn more attention to this game.” Marco Camarota, a former opera singer, shares his experience with the game’s music, stating, “The presence of so many Chinese instruments in the game soundtrack is rare! I really enjoy discovering this ‘cultural sound’ while playing the game.”
Chinese music producer Fengling finds that overseas Chinese always have an indescribable feeling about the annual “Sea Lantern Festival” event in the game. She believes that good music can transcend age, noting that her parents, who were not interested in games and were not very optimistic about them, found the music to be very good and resonant after listening to it. Fengling says, “The game’s ‘Liyue,’ which is based on China, left Marco a deep impression. When he saw the mountain scenery based on Zhangjiajie, with the sun rising, it ‘felt real.’”
Alex also believes that HOYO-MiX is both looking to the past and the future in their music creation. He explains, “Their music has a sense of blending ‘the past’ and ‘the future,’ yet it sounds coherent and unified, with the past and future merging together. When I hear their music, I think these people are geniuses.”
Xiaohui, who graduated from the Modern Composition and Production program at Berklee College of Music, affirms, “The technical and interactive modes of the music of ‘Genshin Impact’ are not groundbreaking, but they have been widely applied in the game, which is unprecedented in China. Leading a whole team through this complete industrial production process, they are truly daring to think and act.”