Mobile games often implement exciting crossovers, and there are a number of potentially huge gacha game, or a title that tends to follow the trends laid out by other successful mobile games over the years.
One such trend has been the arrival of frequent crossover events, which often see a popular gacha game work with another IP to bring over characters from the latter into the former's game world. These collaborative events tend to be pretty low risk for everyone involved, as the game's developers get to generate excitement and potentially reach a new demographic, while the property collaborating with the mobile title has a chance to do the same. Given that Genshin Impact is one of the most popular mobile games in the world at the moment, it seems unlikely that there aren't willing partners looking to collaborate with miHoYo and establish the kinds of crossover events that get people buzzing.
Not every crossover works, however, regardless of how hard Fortnite tries to make people believe they do. Epic Games' title is a pretty unique corner case in of its adaptability, and most other titles - especially mobile gacha games - tend to have some stricter rules about which kinds of archetypal characters and tropes can show up in their worlds. That said, some of the elements of Genshin Impact make it a suitable home for a wide array of popular characters, and miHoYo's experience in the genre has already established some high-profile s to tap into as well. Here's five Genshin Impact collaborations that could happen in the future, and why they'd be exciting if they did.
Genshin Impact x Neon Genesis Evangelion
This option might've been a bit of a stretch not too long ago, but now it's a definite possibility, and it's all thanks to miHoYo's other mobile smash hit: Honkai Impact 3rd. Honkai Impact 3rd announced a Neon Genesis Evangelion brand collaboration event in January 2021, helping to celebrate Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time's Japanese debut in theatres. The event adds Asuka Langley to the game's roster and features the Angels from Evangelion appearing as a threat in Honkai Impact.
While the two properties are wildly different in tone, miHoYo has already established a connection between its games and Neon Genesis Evangelion. It might not be as simple as porting an iconic character from Neon Genesis Evangelion into Genshin Impact, but the latter's world-building features plenty of discussion of magic, and the ability to travel between worlds has already been established by the game's twins. While it may take some time before that kind of power becomes relevant again, as Genshin Impact's narrative is still young, when it does, it wouldn't be surprising to see "other worlds" become a way to collaborate with properties that might not be a perfect fit otherwise - and Neon Genesis Evangelion is a timeless classic that doesn't really need an excuse to be exciting as a collaborative opportunity.
Genshin Impact x Persona 5
Speaking of properties that have a well-established method of traversing across worlds, Persona 5 has been putting that lore to good use in the mobile gaming industry. Persona 5 has had multiple collaborations with popular mobile games so far, with its most notable ones coming in partnerships with Another Eden, Dragalia Lost, AFK Arena, and more. Joker's crew has made a habit of showing up in fantasy universes already, so one more wouldn't be much of a surprise.
Genshin Impact collaborating with Persona 5 would be pretty exciting, too. Persona 5 characters already have elements associated with them, so it wouldn't be too difficult to sort out which character fits which role in Genshin Impact. Genshin Impact's action-based combat and team building compositions are also natural fits for Persona 5, and magic is alive and well within Teyvat, opening up possibilities for Persona summons to make an appearance as part of movesets, too.
Genshin Impact x The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
In spite of how well-established Genshin Impact becomes as its own property, the game will seemingly never be free of comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Given that miHoYo is probably stuck with those associations forever, the developer could attempt to embrace them with an ambitious partnership with Nintendo rather than downplay them. Nintendo is notoriously protective of its property and a Genshin Impact collaboration would have to be delicately handled, but it's certainly an ideal fit for Link.
If a Genshin Impact and Breath of the Wild collaboration were to happen, it certainly wouldn't require much work. Link is a hero who has been thrown across time and space before, and his most recent adventures were at least partial inspirations for how Genshin Impact's open world was built. This one might be more of a long shot, but if it does happen, be prepared for the internet to lose its collective mind for a few weeks as a result.
Genshin Impact x Fate/Grand Order
Two of the biggest mobile games on the planet crossing over would be worth talking about, which might make the project worthwhile for that reason alone for miHoYo and Delightworks, the developer of Fate/Grand Order. Mobile games have collaborated with each other before, though something on this scale would be special. Fate/Grand Order is massive in Japan, but has struggled to establish the same kind of popularity in other regions, something that hasn't been true of Genshin Impact. A collaboration would certainly put both games in the spotlight on a global stage, and if both parties felt it was beneficial, it would make a lot of sense.
If a Genshin Impact collaboration with Fate did happen, it'd be nice to see a variety of the latter's more franchise-specific characters cross over into Teyvat. Having Altria seems like a given no matter the philosophy behind the implementation, but adding characters like Fate/stay night's Archer and Rin would be a better fit for the world of Genshin Impact. There's certainly a chance that one or both parties feel the other is direct competition, but there's a noticeable overlap between players of both games, so if that's not the case then a Genshin Impact and Fate/Grand Order collaboration would be a wise decision for everyone.
Genshin Impact x Honkai Impact 3rd
Saving what many feel to be the most obvious for last, Genshin Impact seems destined to collaborate with miHoYo's other game, Honkai Impact 3rd. Even before factoring in how convenient it would be since all of the collaboration would be in-house, the two games also feature similar gameplay systems - both action-based - and distinctive characters that would be exciting for fans to see in another world.
It's also a chance to get players of one game to try the other, something that hasn't been necessary for either to thrive but seems like an apt chance to grow both titles even further. Honkai Impact 3rd released in 2016, which means it still has plenty of life left in it as miHoYo continues to it, and adding references to the earlier title or an outright Genshin Impact collaboration would go a long way in keeping people interested.
