Genshin Impact’s Global Success How Its Music Bridges Cultures and Inspires Musicians Worldwide

The Chinese original game “Genshin Impact” has surpassed one billion global users, was selected as a national cultural export project in 2021, and won the Outstanding Mobile Game Award at the TGA in the same year. This year, “Genshin Impact” won the “Voice of the Player” award at the TGA, as well as nominations for the “Best Mobile Game” and “Best Long-Term Operation Game” awards. This phenomenon-level game not only helped Chinese music go global but also through the creation of music with different cultural and regional backgrounds, allowed global players to experience “listening to the same piece of music, seeing different worlds.”
Along with “Genshin Impact,” its music has also become popular. In 2022, multiple tracks from “Genshin Impact” were selected for the Beijing Winter Olympics soundtrack. So far, six online concert videos from “Genshin Impact” on the Bilibili website have accumulated over 28 million views, and on the YouTube English account, the total number of views has exceeded 29 million. This phenomenon-level game not only promotes Chinese music but also through the creation of music with different cultures and regions, allows different cultural backgrounds to experience “listening to the same piece of music, seeing different worlds.”
Recently, Hóngxīn Rìbān rénwù contacted and interviewed five musicians, discussing the reasons behind the popularity of “Genshin Impact” music. The game’s music is not only popular in the game itself but also attracts players to enter the game world again. For Italian game composer Alex Muscara, good music can attract him to the game again. American former opera singer Marco Camarotta also stated that music helps him experience the game more deeply, even performing a song from “Genshin Impact” as an opera aria and sharing it on social media, which received much appreciation.
Marco Camarotta also mentioned that the region of “Li Yue” in the game, which is based on China, has left a deep impression on him. He believes that this “love letter” not only represents Chinese culture but also showcases the unique charm of Chinese music. He particularly enjoys the music from the region of “Mondstadt,” which has a Western sound quality. Marco Camarotta is also curious about what the music for the new regions, such as “Valoran” based on France, will be like.
Marco Camarotta shared his first encounter with “Genshin Impact” music. He was deeply attracted to the game’s music. He believes that the “call” in the game music, which summons different composers and musicians from various places and eras, left him deeply moved. He believes that the unique creative philosophy of the HOYO-MiX team, which shows respect for the past while looking forward to the future, has won his admiration.
Black Iridium, a music producer from Berklee College of Music, believes that the music in “Genshin Impact” does not have groundbreaking technological breakthroughs, but its large-scale use showcases their courage and determination in leading a whole team through the entire industrial production process. American musician Yukes said that music studios like HOYO-MiX are important for musicians, and in the future, more Chinese and foreign young people will discover new musical works here. New compositions for instruments such as guzheng and suona will be written, which is only a matter of time.