HoYoverse’s GTA-inspired open-world game ‘Project Shanghai’ is more ambitious than Genshin Impact

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home May 14, 2025 19 Views 3 Min Read
hoyoverse gta like game



  • HoYoverse is reportedly developing a new open-world game inspired by titles like Grand Theft Auto.
  • Codenamed Project Shanghai, the game is said to be more ambitious than Genshin Impact.
  • A 23% drop in mobile revenue in 2024 has pushed HoYoverse to explore new, riskier genres.

HoYoverse is reportedly working on a new open-world game codenamed Project Shanghai. Although at the time of writing, there isn’t any snippet to share, this game is seemingly GTA-inspired and will be more ambitious than their biggest hit to date, Genshin Impact.

Apart from Project Shanghai, HoYoverse is also working on several multiple-genre projects

According to a Bloomberg report, the game draws inspiration from Western open-world titles like Grand Theft Auto, although there are no reports on whether this will have a realistic look or stick with the anime art style that HoYoverse has strictly followed throughout its run.

Genshin-Impact-Natlan-Characters-Game-Cover
Image via HoYoverse

HoYoverse made its name with anime-stylized fantasy games like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero. But now, the studio is facing a tricky situation. Additional details from the report reveal that each new game seems to be pulling players away from the previous ones, which has reportedly led to a 23% drop in mobile revenue in 2024.

To turn things around, HoYoverse is exploring riskier and more varied game genres. One such example is Project Shanghai. This is to be led by developers who previously worked at major Western studios like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. It is to be noted that this title has been rebooted twice, as per former employees.

If you remember, recent job listings at HoYoverse pointed to several new projects in development, ranging from a hero shooter and social sim to a space survival adventure. While most are still in concept stages, it’s clear the studio is aiming far beyond its gacha RPG roots.

GTA 5 Android
Image via Rockstar Games

Given how big the market is for Genshin Impact, Project Shanghai should be another blockbuster from HoYoverse, without a doubt. Mobile games are more than capable now in handling bigger games, so I’m hoping this is another massive game and filled with lot of fun, like the GTA ones.

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