Even though Genshin Impact just recieved its 2.5 update yesterday, the fanbase is already looking towards the future. The 2.6 update doesn’t yet have an exact release date, but given the current cycle, fans can likely expect it to drop sometime in March. A new character, Kamisato Ayato, has been confirmed for this update, along with The Chasm, a brand new region. Thanks to a beta leak, a map of this area has already popped up on social media.
This new area will have six new teleport points and a new Statue of The Seven. MiHoYo has been consistently adding new explorable terrain with each update, and another major nation by the name of Sumeru has already been hinted to be coming in a future update. The Chasm’s story will apparently serve as an introduction to Sumeru.
According to Genshin Impact leaker @projectcelestia on Twitter, the Irodori Festival will be the main event of the 2.6 update. This will include a number of mini-games including poetry, tower defense, Kendo, and flower arranging.
The 4-star character Shikanoin Heizou is speculated to be released in 2.6, while Dansleif, who hasn’t been seen since Chapter 1, is rumored to be making his long-awaited return. As for banner reruns, the hugely popular characters Venti and Klee are said to be returning, potentially meaning that the Mondstadt region will be getting some more attention. Rumors also indicate that Thoma will be given away as the free character.
Genshin Impact is available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices. The most recent 2.5 update dropped yesterday, February 16, and added the new character Yae Miko. Kokomi and Raiden are currently seeing Banner reruns. Recently, MiHoYo has rebranded itself in the west as HoYoVerse. The Chinese company recently announced a plan to bring their popular property to the metaverse.
Across all platforms, Genshin Impact is estimated to have grossed $3.7 billion in its first year as of September 2021, the highest ever first-year launch revenue for a video game.