Who would've thought that a bunch of Korean Genshin Impact players could crowdfund a protest blimp to float over Seoul's Hongdae district for four days straight — and get covered by mainstream Korean outlets like Yonhap News Agency, Kookmin Ilbo, and Maeil Business? At roughly 20,000 RMB (~$2,800 USD) per day, the ROI on this publicity stunt was absolutely insane.
It all started when Korean Genshin players, with help from Chinese communities like NGA, crowdfunded a blimp to fly over Hongdae in Seoul. The blimp carried slogans demanding 'communication with players' and 'stop ignoring hate speech,' essentially an aerial protest against HoYoverse's perceived indifference to Korean player grievances. The blimp flew for 4 consecutive days at roughly 20,000 RMB per day.
Day one was already a disaster logistically — freezing temperatures caused the battery and propellers to freeze up, so the blimp only flew for about half its scheduled time. But that didn't stop the media avalanche. Monday News ran the story as 'Genshin players stage blimp protest... demand communication'; Inven published a feature titled 'Genshin players launched a blimp'; Yonhap News Agency — Korea's top wire service — reported 'Genshin players launch protest blimp demanding user communication'; Financial Today went with the clickbait-worthy 'Why are Genshin players flying a blimp in downtown Seoul?'; GAME TOC, Kookmin Ilbo, BizWatch, Digital Times, and many more all piled on.
Segye Ilbo covered it as 'Genshin players stage aerial protest — don't tolerate hate speech,' Asia Times published photos of the blimp, and Daily Sports went with 'Chinese game Genshin users launch blimp protest over lack of communication' — notably calling out the game's Chinese origin. EToday, eKorea News, Asia Economy, Maeil Business Newspaper, Newstree Korea, Busan Ilbo, and many more also reported on it. The media lineup on day one alone was absolutely stacked.
Day two brought new drama. The blimp was supposed to launch from a public parking lot, but the crew got into a conflict with the parking lot manager and had to relocate — wasting precious time. To make things worse, strong winds forced the blimp to land 20 minutes early. On the bright side, MBC (a major Korean broadcaster) reportedly sent a reporter to interview HoYoverse's Korean branch, though community members warned that 'MBC leans more toward the female-oriented demographic, so the coverage might be biased.'
Community members also published the full cost breakdown of the blimp and proof of donations for the surplus funds, shutting down anyone questioning where the money went.
The comment section was pure entertainment. One user was shocked: 'Holy crap, so many outlets actually covered this? I thought maybe one or two Korean media would pick it up.' Someone noticed the blimp's actual size: 'This thing is actually huge in the sky — why does it look so tiny on the ground?' — met with the reply 'military propaganda photographer.jpg,' implying the ground-level photos were taken at unflattering angles. Another user insisted it was technically just a 'balloon,' to which someone countered: 'Academy City and the Kirov gave Chinese gamers a warped impression of what blimps look like.'
As for HoYoverse's response — or rather, the lack thereof — players were completely desensitized. 'Probably useless, mHoYo's no-response strategy is incredibly determined,' 'The silent treatment is still rock-solid,' and 'Mihoyo's selective blindness strikes again' summed up the general sentiment. Some found positives though: 'The blimp is tiny but wow, so many media outlets covered it.' Others commented on the blimp's appearance: 'It doesn't look like a manned one?' 'Actually kind of cute, ngl.' 'Even small things can be adorable~'
One commenter noted that while the blimp protest was generating serious buzz, the day's overall attention got partially diverted by news of China's new online gaming regulations. As for whether mHoYo would ever respond — judging by the comment section consensus, they'll probably just keep their heads down and treat the free publicity as a bonus.
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