Why Genshin Impact’s Lack of Crossovers After Aloy Might Be For the Best

With every new update for Genshin Impact, the game’s roster expands with playable characters from all kinds of backgrounds and with varying combat utilities. Among the playable characters in Genshin Impact so far, there has only been one official crossover character introduced: Aloy from Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Forbidden West (and also from Horizon Zero Dawn).

There have been multiple crossovers in Genshin Impact since Aloy was introduced, though these have generally been limited to cosmetic items or non-exclusive rewards. So, naturally, ever since Aloy was released as a playable character, many fans have been patiently waiting to see if future updates for Genshin Impact would introduce another official crossover character. In hindsight, though, Aloy being the only crossover character in Genshin Impact might arguably be for the best.

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The Case For No More Crossover Characters in Genshin Impact

After Genshin Impact introduced the first-ever crossover character in the version 2.1 update back in September 2021, it seemed like it was only a matter of time until another crossover would happen and introduce another new playable character in Genshin Impact. Genshin Impact’s recent release on Xbox platforms was arguably the perfect opportunity for another crossover character to arrive, but one never came.

However, while crossover characters are welcome additions to many game, it might be for the best that Genshin Impact pumps the brakes on introducing any more of them. This is especially true considering the criticisms that surround the game’s first and only crossover character, and Genshin Impact may instead want to remain focused on introducing new characters who fit the established story and world.

Genshin Impact’s First Crossover Character Set Low Standards for Future Crossovers

While Aloy’s choice of weaponry seemingly makes her a good fit for Genshin Impact’s combat-driven gameplay, she’s generally considered one of the weakest characters in the game. One of the biggest weaknesses of Aloy in Genshin Impact is that she has no signature weapon or character Constellation upgrades to improve her effectiveness in combat. Consequently, Aloy is highly susceptible to power creep in Genshin Impact, as the absence of those features limits her usefulness in endgame content and makes her less powerful than some of the latest meta characters.

Another source of criticism for Aloy in Genshin Impact is her rarity. There has been no way to unlock her since the associated crossover event ended, so she remains unavailable to a large portion of the playerbase. Although she was available to claim for free, Aloy is technically one of the rarest characters in Genshin Impact. Overall, Aloy is one of the rarest and simultaneously one of the weakest characters in Genshin Impact, which sadly sets a low standard for future crossover characters.

Genshin Impact Risks Breaking Immersion With Future Crossover Characters

Even if future updates for Genshin Impact retroactively address these criticisms surrounding Aloy’s rarity and weaknesses, there’s still the fact that crossover characters do not always quite fit with the game’s overarching narrative. Considering that this problem is non-existent for Genshin Impact’s original characters, it’s arguably for the best for Genshin Impact to hold off on introducing any future crossover characters, even if the crossover is with other HoYoverse IPs. Instead, the game could remain focused on introducing original characters who have an explicit impact on the game’s narrative.

Game

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RPG

Action

Adventure

Gacha

Open-World

Released

September 28, 2020

ESRB

T for Teen – Fantasy Violence, Alcohol Reference