On the 5th, the miHoYo legal team announced that two users of the Chinese video platform Bilibili were found guilty in a first-instance trial for unauthorized distribution of unreleased game content.

According to miHoYo, the case went to a public trial on April 24, with the verdict delivered the same day. The two individuals, charged with copyright infringement, were sentenced to one year and two months and one year in prison, respectively, with both receiving suspended sentences.

Investigations revealed that starting in July of last year, the two had distributed unreleased characters, skills, and actual gameplay footage from 'Genshin Impact', 'Honkai: Star Rail', and 'Zenless Zone Zero' without official authorization. The videos spread rapidly on Bilibili, garnering over 600k views.

The miHoYo legal team emphasized that this ruling is the first criminal conviction for game leaks in China since the implementation of new judicial interpretations by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. They stated, "Unauthorized disclosure of unreleased content not only infringes on the company's copyrights but also robs players of the anticipation they deserve," adding that they will continue to pursue legal action against unauthorized leaks.

miHoYo is a Chinese game developer known for titles such as 'Genshin Impact', 'Honkai: Star Rail', and 'Zenless Zone Zero'. In South Korea, the company is better known by its global brand name, 'HoYoverse', which it has used since 2022.