Genshin Impact's highly-anticipated 2.7 update arrived on May 31, bringing with it new 5-star Hydro character Yelan alongside a rerun of Xiao's banner, immediately breaking day one sales records. Based on Genshin Impact's typical six-week release cycle, version 2.7 was initially expected to arrive on May 11. However, HoYoverse announced the update would be delayed, with players receiving compensation in the meantime. The longer-than-usual wait doesn't seem to have deterred Genshin Impact players - and perhaps the bonus Primogems incentivized some heavier rolling - with the most recent banners seeing record-breaking spending.
Genshin Impact was released in September 2020 and recorded the best first-year sales of any video game in history, a phenomenal estimated $3 billion in earnings. Despite numerous controversies and never-ending leaks, Genshin Impact has continued to go from strength to strength with Genshin Impact's newest update, Hidden Dreams in the Depths, experiencing record-breaking in-app spending through the game's gacha system.
According to GenshinLab, Yelan and Xiao's banners set a new day one sales record for the China market, with $9.8 million in iOS revenue on the day of the 2.7 update's release. Yelan's banner and Xiao's rerun banner overtook the previous leader, Raiden Shogun, whose first banner received $9.3 million in day one iOS revenue in China alone. The Electro Archon Raiden Shogun was first added to Genshin Impact as a playable character in version 2.1 and received a rerun of her banner, Reign of Serenity, in Genshin Impact's 2.5 update.
The record-breaking success of Yelan and Xiao's banners in version 2.7 is multi-faceted with several factors contributing to its popularity. Firstly, the delay of Genshin Impact's 2.7 update led to great anticipation among Genshin Impact players, building excitement for Yelan's release. Additionally, Yelan has already been referred to as one of the game's best Sub-DPS characters, drawing comparisons with fellow Hydro Sub-DPS standout character Xingqiu. The popularity of Xiao's banner is more surprising, as the character already received rerun of his banner, Invitation to Mundane Life earlier this year. However, Xiao remains one of Genshin Impact's top DPS characters, especially for Anemo, so this may have played a role in his most recent banner sales.
Genshin Impact's record-breaking success shows no signs of stopping any time soon, with the role-playing game attracting new players with each new update. The upcoming arrival of the Dendro region Sumeru in version 3.0 promises to be equally successful, with many Genshin Impact players eager to get their hands on the game's first-ever Dendro playable characters, who have yet to be officially announced. As Genshin Impact continues to grow in popularity, it's possible that Yelan and Xiao's day one sales record will be broken and, if Genshin Impact's previous character banner sales are anything to go by, it's only a matter of time.
Source: GenshinLab