ManyGenshin Impactfans have heard rumors that the game’s future updates, most notably Version 2.7, could be delayed due to the alarming Covid situation in Shanghai and the city’s ongoing lockdown.
Shanghai, the home base of Genshin Impactdeveloper HoYoverse (previously miHoYo) is facing itsworst Covid outbreaksince the pandemic began in late 2019. Shanghai’s population is living under extremely strict lockdown measures, and quarantine centers are overcrowded.
The Covid-19 lockdown of Shanghai, which has been ongoing since March 28, is obviously impacting the lives of game developers there as well. Moreover, a certain schedule published by HoYoverse fueled rumors about howGenshin Impactcould get its future updates delayed.
Genshin Impact Event Rerun Schedule for Marvelous Merchandise Sparks Version 2.7 Delay Rumor
Everything started when HoYoverse on April 13releasedthe Event Preview for the second part of Version 2.6, revealing the dates for the next rerun of Marvelous Merchandise, an event everyGenshin Impactplayer is familiar with.
The Marvelous Merchandise event of 2.6 is listed to last from May 6 to May 13. However,Genshin Impacthas always followed a six-week schedule between every update since release, so Version 2.7 should be launching on May 11. The fact that Marvelous Merchandise in 2.6 was announced to last until May 13, spilling into 2.7, could be a sign that the release of Version 2.7 will be delayed. This is how the rumor started.
HoYoverse being affected by the lockdown could also be one of the reasons why the Serenitea Pot maintenance, which started on March 30 with the launch of 2.6,has yet to be completed.
The rumor started spreading among theGenshin Impactcommunity on April 13. I’ve most notably spotted several threads on Japanese anonymous message boards discussing it. The English community has been worried about it as well, with discussions on ther/GenshinImpactLeaksReddit. Popular leaks aggregator on Twitter SYP has brought it up as well.
New Characters Yelan and Kuki Shinobu are Scheduled to be Released in 2.7
HoYoverse has already revealed Yelan and Kuki Shinobuare the two new charactersto be released in 2.7. If 2.7 is delayed by several weeks, it’s possible another banner rerun will be coming as we wait for 2.7.
Personally speaking, if HoYoverse needs more time to prepare future content, be it for 2.7 or 2.8, I’ll gladly wait. Releasing new content obviously isn’t worth the devs risking their lives and I hope the situation in Shanghai will improve soon.
HoYoverse has yet to officially address the rumors and how the lockdown situation is possibly affectingGenshin Impact’s development. I’ve also reached out to them and we will be sure to tell you all when we hear back.
