An otome game — a genre designed primarily for female players — reportedly outearning Genshin Impact in revenue? When that Weibo trending screenshot landed on NGA's forums, the collective reaction from male-oriented gamers could be summed up in one word: copium.
The controversy erupted in late January 2024 when a Weibo hot topic claimed that NetEase's otome title 'World Beyond' (世界之外) had surpassed Genshin Impact's revenue. The NGA post immediately drew a flood of comments splitting into warring camps — some in denial, some coping with sarcasm, and some doing genuine data analysis.
The first to speak up were the "no-males-in-my-game" diehards (有男不玩), a faction of male gamers who pride themselves on rejecting any game featuring male characters. One commenter at the top of the thread went full damage-control mode: 'Let them all make otome games then. I'm fine with it. I don't play anything with male characters.' Another user near the bottom doubled down: 'Laugh it up all you want — I still don't play games with dudes.' But in the face of actual revenue data, this bravado rings a bit hollow.
Others were more honest. One user openly asked: 'Does this mean male gamers have been defeated? Male-oriented gacha revenue is now lower than female-oriented ones?!' When otome players put their money where their mouth is, the old stereotype that 'female gamers don't whale' got obliterated.
Another commenter was genuinely confused: 'What made me think female gamers are all bark and no bite? Probably from reading too much ShouZong (手综, the mobile gaming general section on NGA — notorious for its dismissive attitude toward female gamers).' The numbers, it seems, told a very different story.
But the real fireworks weren't about revenue comparisons — they were about art quality. Multiple users pointed out that World Beyond's card art was heavily AI-generated. One bluntly remarked: 'Isn't that game notorious for AI card art? Guess they're not picky about quality.' A longer diatribe went further: 'Bad money is driving out good money. I'm not saying Genshin is great (disclaimer: it uses AI too), but World Beyond literally stacks AI art without even bothering to touch it up, and people STILL whale on it? I'm speechless.' The reply to this was surgical: 'Because they're not selling art — they're selling parasocial bonds.' In other words, otome whales spend for the characters and emotional connections, not pixel-perfect illustrations.
On the revenue data front, one user posted a SevenMai (七麦) analytics screenshot showing Genshin's revenue over the past year had apparently 'halved,' asking: 'Could a rival capable of challenging Genshin actually be emerging?'
But a more informed commenter quickly debunked the panic: SevenMai had changed its algorithm, cutting estimated revenue in half for chart-topping games. 'Games like Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, and Genshin that regularly top the charts got hit hardest. There's no way they actually lost half their income just because the estimation formula changed.' In other words, Genshin's 'revenue cliff' may be a data artifact, not a real decline.
Beyond the gender war, some users offered business-savvy analysis. One commenter zoomed out: 'Has any NetEase launch in recent years flopped? Streetball Allstar, Peak Speed — both entered Tencent's strongholds and still took off at launch. NetEase has simply gotten ruthlessly efficient at user acquisition costs. No wonder Tencent is teaming up with ByteDance to fend off the charging pig (进击的猪 — a meme for NetEase's aggressive expansion).'
A veteran NetEase player offered a chilling warning: 'NetEase games always seem to start with great revenue — the question is whether they'll follow the pattern of their other titles and crash hard. I'm never touching a NetEase game again. But I kind of hope this one survives, because the world needs a Lich King.' The metaphor is telling — World Beyond as the 'villain' that makes male-oriented games look better by comparison.
Interestingly, the otome fandom isn't a monolith either. One user noted: 'Players here don't even need to stoke the flames — the otome fans from different games are already fighting among themselves.' Apparently, even within the female-oriented gaming space, tribalism and fandom rivalries run deep. Other comments revealed a 'just leave us alone' sentiment: 'I hope more otome games come out so those (slur for certain female gamers) get absorbed into their own ecosystem,' and 'Please, otome games, lock down your target audience so everyone can live in peace.'
One comment touched on a deeper gender politics nerve: 'I don't hate otome games, but it feels unfair — male characters in those games can show skin, but female characters in male-oriented games can't even get revealing outfits. That's discrimination against men.' This 'why do they get to but we don't' frustration perfectly captures the ongoing culture war over content ratings, fan service, and audience targeting in the Chinese gacha market.
Looking at the full picture, whether World Beyond actually surpassed Genshin in revenue is debatable — SevenMai's algorithm changes, NetEase's aggressive marketing spend, and the timing of new character banners all muddy the waters. But the raw emotions this data point unleashed are very real. The 'no-males-in-my-game' crowd's bravado crumbles against cold revenue numbers. The AI art debate exposes wildly different quality standards between player demographics. And the fear of 'bad money driving out good' — that the industry will reward soulless AI-generated content over genuine craftsmanship — is perhaps the most important takeaway buried beneath all the spicy takes.
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