Korean Genshin Players Crowdfund a Literal Blimp to Protest HoYoverse — It Flies, Banners Roast Devs, Then Crashes Because It Was Too Cold Outside

Korean Genshin players have officially gone vertical — not metaphorically, but literally. At a time when the character fans call "Huang Dou Jie" (黄豆姐, a beloved unit) failed to top the Korean server revenue charts, Korean players who crowdfunded a protest blimp launched it into the skies over Seoul with banners aimed squarely at HoYoverse.

The blimp carried two Korean banners. One read: "Don't ignore the hatred — show willingness to improve, Genshin." The other: "A company that refuses to communicate with customers — repent now, Hoyoverse." The tone was surprisingly civil by gacha war standards, but the point hit different when it was literally flying over the city. The original poster quipped: "T1, with all its massive fanbase, got on its knees after just one truck protest. Is miHoYo seriously going to wait until someone launches a rocket before they cave?"

Then came the comedy moment. The OP updated: because of freezing Korean winter weather, the blimp's battery died and it had to land. They might need a second attempt. Korean netizens also noted that the blimp looked impressively large from afar, but appeared hilariously small when photographed next to a person. Peak "impressive from a distance, slightly embarrassing up close" energy.

NGA commenters absolutely feasted on this. One noted: "A mere satellite? They probably think this isn't generating enough traffic — all publicity is good publicity." Another quipped: "The hostility level is way too low" — a stark contrast to CN players who'd have gone full scorched-earth by now. Someone suggested the Korean players should learn the art of sarcastic congratulatory banner culture (阴阳怪气锦旗文化) from Chinese veterans.

But an informed commenter pointed out: "Korean players were never the extreme type. Most of them genuinely hope the devs will improve — that's why they pooled money for a blimp in the first place. CN players on NGA would never do this, because everyone already knows exactly what miHoYo is like. No one has any copium left."

The backstory, as pieced together from commenters: Korean players' frustration largely stems from miHoYo's artist posting controversial takes on Twitter involving feminism and Taiwan independence rhetoric, plus alleged cult-related hand gestures appearing in multiple recent character illustrations — all while miHoYo refused to distance itself from the artist. Apparently there was a mega-thread on NGA with thousands of replies discussing this, but the OP allegedly "got bodied" and the thread was hidden.

The shitposters were in peak form too. Someone fantasized about "the next version having a Hilichurl NPC riding a blimp as an event character." Others joked miHoYo was "actively abandoning overseas markets." And of course, someone dropped the Red Alert classic: "Kirov Reporting." Because when Korean players literally fly a protest blimp into the sky, all you can really do is laugh.