miHoYo: The Open-World Journey of an Otaku

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In this case study, we analyze the key factors to growth, success, and maintenance of the Chinese gaming company, miHoYo. Before the company's mission, culture, and future goals were established, there was much trial and error. From financial difficulties to figuring out innovative marketing strategies, miHoYo truly found their niche and exhibited that all throughout their company, products, and people. Battling against gaming giants like Tencent and NetEase, miHoYo managed to define their target audience and market purely to what they call ‘tech otakus’. Evident in their storyline and character development process, miHoYo places a large emphasis into its characters. The gacha system paired with charming characters make it so users have no choice but to spend money. But there’s a nuance here. Unlike other mobile / online games, many of the upgrades are optional. It’s all a matter of how much a user is tempted to upgrade; marketing at its finest. Additionally and with endless updates and new worlds to explore, miHoYo quickly achieved international success, actively engaging with users through social media platforms and appealing to global audiences through culturally respectful advertisements. Although faced with financial difficulties in the early stages and harsh criticism from users about plagiarism, miHoYo managed to stay true to the company vision and continue developing as one team. Now rebranded as HoYoverse, the company strives to take gaming to the next level by investing millions into their research and development. miHoYo recognizes the importance of virtual reality in gaming to increase sensory feelings and enhance the gaming experience. For this reason, the company partnered with a hospital to research brain-computer interfaces hoping to create a virtual world in which people are willing to live in by 2030. What started as a project funded by competition scholarship money turned into three founders paving the way towards ground-breaking technologies in the gaming industry.

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