On November 6, ahead of its participation in G-STAR 2026, HoYoverse held a media briefing at Grand Hyatt Seoul. Returning to G-STAR for the first time in four years since G-STAR 2022, HoYoverse plans to welcome gamers with two new titles: 'Petit Planet', scheduled for official release on December 4, and 'Honkai: Nexus Anima', which is currently recruiting Final Beta testers. Following recent announcements made through official livestreams and videos, Ran Huang, Head of HoYoverse Korea, Sam, Global PR Lead at HoYoverse, and Seven, Global Business CEO at HoYoverse, shared what experiences they intend to deliver to users at G-STAR.
Attending G-STAR After 4 Years: Introducing HoYoverse's 2 New Titles Targeting a Broader Audience
Prior to the presentations, Global PR Lead Sam highlighted the importance of the Korean market and user community, saying, "Korea has always been a key pillar of HoYoverse's global community, and the interest, feedback, and support from Korean players have given HoYoverse immense strength. Thanks to your interest and love, the worlds and experiences we create can continue to unfold."
Global Business CEO Seven outlined the company's vision, stating, "Even as HoYoverse has grown into a company alongside global gamers, our goal remains unchanged. We continue to strive to offer fun, fresh, and exciting experiences for everyone." He then went on to share key achievements of HoYoverse.
First, 'Genshin Impact', released in September 2020, is an open-world RPG enjoyed by over 40 million global players. Receiving deep love over the past six years, it has won major game awards including the Golden Joystick Awards and The Game Awards. The journey across the continent of Teyvat continues, with all seven nations now revealed. HoYoverse plans to continue the adventure by introducing even more diverse content going forward.
'Honkai: Star Rail', released in April 2023, surpassed 10 million pre-registrations prior to launch and earned multiple major honors, including 'Best Mobile Game' at The Game Awards. Cumulative downloads have exceeded 150 million, with over 1 million followers across each of its main social channels.
HoYoverse's urban fantasy action RPG 'Zenless Zone Zero' launched in July 2024, recording over 100 million cumulative downloads across PC, console, and mobile platforms. Well received by players for its fast-paced action and stylish combat, it embodied a fresh aesthetic for HoYoverse with distinctive visuals and cartoon-style direction. It currently boasts over 19 million global followers across major social media and community platforms. In 2026, the game showcased new content and added the Steam platform, while receiving nominations and awards at ceremonies such as the PlayStation Partner Awards and Gamescom.
Under the slogan "More World, More Story, More to Discover," HoYoverse presented two new titles. 'Petit Planet', which tells warm and everyday stories, will officially launch on PC, iOS, and Android on December 4. Meanwhile, 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' is a collectible creature-raising adventure strategy game featuring a rich and deep lore where players unlock new powers through 'Nexus Battles'.
Ran Huang, Head of HoYoverse Korea, continued the presentation detailing the two new titles. First, 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' is the latest entry in the 'Honkai' series, a creature-collecting and strategy adventure game set in a world where humans coexist with mysterious creatures called 'Anima'. This title marks HoYoverse's first foray into this genre.
The world of 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' begins with the concept of 'Bonds'. A Bond is a power connecting paired concepts; however, following the occurrence of the 'Honkai', these bonds broke down, severing the connecting links. Through a mysterious principle, these scattered bonds were reborn as creatures known as 'Anima'. Players become Dimensional Travelers who form bonds with Anima everywhere and embark on a new adventure.
The 'Anima' appearing in the game are beings with distinct personalities that are closely tied to people's daily lives. Notable Anima include 'Tsumei', born from plum blossom branches; 'Umbrella', a cat-like Anima with an unpredictable personality that transforms into an umbrella depending on weather changes; and 'Shadow', which only appears at night and freely moves through darkness. Players will battle other Anima Masters alongside these diverse Anima, explore unknown worlds, uncover hidden truths from the past, and experience stories featuring different factions. Key characters introduced include 'Baimei', the Tyrant of Reality of the current generation elected through a unique electoral system, and 'Olympia', Acting Manager of the Yiya Branch of True Nexus Group, who keeps Yiya Village orderly.
There are various ways to form bonds with Anima. Players can encounter various Anima while strolling through the main setting of 'Yiya Village' and form a bond by winning a battle, though some Anima require prior preparation. Players may also bump into Anima while chatting with townspeople or reaching mysterious locations, or meet rare Anima by completing challenge content. Once a bond is formed, players can take photos together or assign custom names, and certain Anima can evolve after finishing specific challenges to deliver even more powerful combat capabilities.
The core features of the game were highlighted in three main areas: ▲ a story with multiple endings, ▲ the vibrant and lived-in Yiya Village, and ▲ strategic combat alongside Anima.
First, 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' has no set answer. Every decision made by the player influences the story's branching paths and ending. As players get involved with various factions such as 'True Nexus Group' and 'Nexus Association', the story unfolds differently depending on which side they cooperate with. While introducing a multi-branching system is a bold move for a live-service game, 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' decisively adopted it.
The primary setting, 'Yiya Village', is rendered as a space packed with real-life atmosphere, ranging from new towns to commercial areas and landmarks. Players can dispatch Anima to run shops and manage businesses, ride Anima like mounts to fly through the skies, or explore all corners of the village to solve puzzles.
The combat system adopts an auto-battler format where players harness the power of 'Principles' to compose diverse Anima teams and engage in automated combat. Activating synergies between principles to unleash powerful effects and gain the upper hand is crucial, and deploying up to three characters to activate their skills at the right moment serves as another strategic element. In particular, deploying a character alongside their 'Companion Anima' further enhances that Anima.
'Honkai: Nexus Anima' will host its Final Beta Test on November 25, with an official release slated for next spring.
Set for a global launch on December 4, 'Petit Planet' is HoYoverse's first-ever planet life simulation game. In the 'Starsea' where stars connect to form galaxies, players become 'Planet Tenders' with their own planet, managing their world, exploring the Starsea, and enjoying the warmth of everyday life.
The core keyword of 'Petit Planet' is 'Connection'. With no fixed way to play, the core experience revolves around decorating one's planet in one's own style, building relationships with unique Neighbors, and interacting with other players. As a 'Luca Seed' grows into a tree, the planet gradually expands, spawning new farmland, mountains, seas, and diverse terrain that unlock more everyday content to enjoy. It is designed not merely as a space to look at, but as a space to nurture and inhabit.
The game also features a building and decorating system that lets players freely style their own space. Rare outfits or furniture can be acquired through 'Lumi Home Shopping', while players can also craft custom furniture by acquiring 'Idea Cards' through various activities.
The planet is home to colorful Neighbors with distinct personalities, such as 'Winky', 'Isaki', and 'Saphir'. Talking to Neighbors or exchanging gifts increases intimacy, leading to helpful assistance and deeper bonds as players uncover their hidden backstories. More diverse Neighbors will continue to be added in the future.
Through the 'Starsea Voyages' system, players can experience the thrill of venturing into the unknown by exploring new areas, meeting diverse characters, and gathering new resources. Furthermore, lifestyle and exploration activities such as farming, bug catching, fishing, and mudflat shellfishing allow players to fill out their encyclopedias and encounter fresh surprises daily. Collected organisms can be displayed in the 'Curio Emporium' or used for cooking.
In the social space called the 'Galactic Bazaar', players can interact with other Planet Tenders. They can communicate and enjoy the game in their own ways, such as gathering around a campfire to chat or enjoying a dance game on stage.
Offering a fresh experience distinct from previous HoYoverse games, the two new titles, Honkai: Nexus Anima and Petit Planet, can be experienced early at G-STAR 2026, where a variety of on-site events will be hosted for visiting gamers.
Q&A
'Petit Planet' is known as an all-ages game. What operational strategy is in place to encompass all age groups?
Design Lead Murphy = As an all-ages title, we built three systems to protect players in social features. First, in the Galactic Bazaar, chat is designed to be possible only when seated. Second, the friend system strictly distinguishes between strangers and friends. Lastly, to protect minors, we provided a toggle switch; turning on the minor protection switch restricts social functions, ensuring minor accounts can be managed safely.
Recently, 'Petit Planet' underwent a fairly long playtest ahead of release. Which content received the best response, and what areas are being improved based on feedback?
Design Lead Murphy = The aspect that received the best response during the recent test was the NPC interaction experience. Features where Neighbors remembered player actions and interacted accordingly were praised. In response to feedback, we adjusted the frequency with which NPCs initiate visits to players so that introverted players do not feel overwhelmed. Also, while there are many cute and friendly characters in the game, many expressed a desire for NPCs with more distinct personalities, so we are reinforcing character design in that direction as well.
The dialogue system with AI-driven NPCs in the Galactic Bazaar was impressive. How much freedom and safety measures were designed into it, and how do you plan to develop it further?
Art Lead Yinli Huang = Key AI features include casual conversation systems with the 'Hearth Manager' and others. Data is collected strictly within the bounds required by each country's laws, backed by robust security measures. Players also hold the right to request corrections, modifications, or deletions of their personal data. Furthermore, safety measures are in place, such as providing an option to toggle AI functions on and off directly. Beyond the 'Hearth Manager', more AI-equipped NPCs like 'Rabbit Amira' are in development. As we roll out these NPCs, we plan to gather player feedback and continuously refine them.
'Petit Planet' targets a different player base from existing HoYoverse games, and 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' also feels distinct. How do you view your target audience?
Branch Head Ran Huang = 'Honkai: Nexus Anima' is still deep in active development, so it is difficult to answer extensively at this point. We plan to collect player feedback and continuously improve the game through the Final Beta Test on November 25.
Art Lead Yinli Huang = 'Petit Planet' definitely appeals to a different and broader audience compared to existing HoYoverse titles. It sets itself apart by catering to players who enjoy life simulations, cozy healing content, and social activities with others. In particular, since full-fledged social features are being introduced by HoYoverse for the first time, we ask for your great anticipation.
HoYoverse is returning to G-STAR after four years. What is the background and core objective? Furthermore, since you recently hosted the standalone event 'HoYoLand', why are you participating in another offline event so soon?
Branch Head Ran Huang = G-STAR is Korea's flagship gaming event—a meaningful gathering for domestic and international gamers as well as industry professionals. While 'HoYoLand' was a festival for existing fans, our participation in G-STAR stems from our desire to present our two distinct new titles to Korean gamers first. We want to hear direct, vivid feedback on-site regarding the charm, highlights, and areas for improvement of both games. At this G-STAR, rather than focusing on metrics like booth visitor counts, the feedback provided by players is what matters most.
Seeing photos of 'Petit Planet' characters taken at Gamescom, my young daughter loved them. It seems like a social game that families can enjoy together, but as a mobile/online title, the business model (BM) is a concern. How are you preparing it?
Design Lead Murphy = As mentioned earlier, parents can directly control and manage the experience by toggling the minor protection switch on or off. Additionally, all core gameplay content can be enjoyed without making paid purchases, and interactions with NPCs as well as Neighbor content are provided free of charge. Families can enjoy the game with complete peace of mind without such concerns.
Since it is a game about decorating your own planet, I am curious if there is a 'Workshop'-like feature allowing players who lack crafting skills to download and use other players' creations. Also, as a game released by HoYoverse, is there a possibility of characters from other IPs appearing?
Design Lead Murphy = The core philosophy of 'Petit Planet' is equal enjoyment for all players. Decorating a planet is a form of self-expression, so we established a 'Blueprint' system that allows players to freely apply UGC or furniture arrangements to their planet. Blueprints can be shared with other players, so even players who lack decorating skills can easily apply blueprints shared by others to their own planets.
Art Lead Yinli Huang = Currently, we are focused on enhancing the development completeness of the game itself, so there are no plans for collaborations with internal or third-party IPs at this time. Should any relevant plans be finalized in the future, we will announce them separately.
Finally, do you have a message for Korean HoYoverse fans?
Branch Head Ran Huang = We are deeply grateful for all the love you have shown us, and we are pouring our hearts into preparing both new titles. We ask for the continued interest and anticipation of many fans.
