HoYoverse Gets a Mention in an Academic History Publication — OP Declares "They've Made History," Gets Dragged by Commenters

Some claim Genshin Impact will end up in Chinese literature textbooks, others say HoYoverse has 'made history' — NGA users' imaginations run wilder than Genshin's open-world maps.

A recent NGA forum post has sparked heated discussion. Titled 'They've Truly Made History,' the OP claimed that miHoYo (HoYoverse) was mentioned in an academic/cultural history publication, bolstering their claim with a link to a People's Daily (people.com.cn) article from December 4, 2023, about a white paper on 'Chinese Civilization and Chinese-Style Modernization.' Screenshots from the publication showed HoYoverse being referenced, complete with bilingual Chinese-English text.

However, the comment section's reaction could be summed up in one word: 'That's it?'

The very first reply went straight for the jugular: 'Elon Musk already talked about them though?' — referring to the time Musk publicly discussed miHoYo. A fellow commenter dug up a screenshot from 2012 as 'proof.' Others recalled that the aftermath of that incident was a flood of people asking how to buy HoYoverse stock, only to discover the company was never publicly listed. One player lamented: 'If miHoYo had actually gone public, things wouldn't be this messy. Right now it's a total black box — who knows what they're even doing in there.'

The real comedy gold came from one commenter who declared: 'A generational-defining game like Genshin Impact will 100% be in middle and high school history textbooks within a century. Chinese literature textbooks will probably include some story excerpts too.' The replies were absolutely savage: 'You sure about that? Generational-defining?' / 'Touch grass bro, just because you've never had good food doesn't mean the rest of us haven't.' / 'Its commercial success might get a mention in business books, but literature textbooks — are you serious?' The final blow: 'Works selected for Chinese textbooks actually require, you know, good writing and substance.'

Beyond the textbook debate, plenty of users questioned whether 'making history' even applies here. 'These kinds of books are a dime a dozen — calling this "history" is a stretch,' one wrote. Another quipped: 'Redefining "history books,"' while a few simply asked 'This is even a drama?' Others pointed out that being mentioned in some publication is hardly noteworthy — academic and cultural books are famously 'thick, expensive, and nobody reads them,' so what really matters is how many copies were actually printed.

To be fair, some users acknowledged that Genshin Impact is indeed a phenomenal game that 'deserves a mention' on the business side. But more people worried about the flip side — 'If this blows back, I'm afraid content like this will need to be more careful going forward,' hinting that over-the-top marketing and deification-style praise could ultimately backfire on the game itself.

As of now, the thread reads like a community performance art piece: the OP tried to flex, the entire comment section dismantled them, and miHoYo itself remains characteristically silent. As for how many copies that 'history book' actually printed and how many people have read it — well, probably only the publisher knows.