Genshin Impact May Be Hinting At Its Next Major Location

Genshin Impact has been out since late September 2020. Since its launch, it has proven to be quite a success, with a continued effort by MiHoYo to expand and produce more content for the game. According to fan speculation, though, there could be more adventures yet to come. Gamers may have received a very telling hint about Genshin Impact's next expansion.

A Reddit user named genosy posted an analysis of a message from the in-game character Sucrose. In the image, she states "And this one is called... Mist Flower Project 3, Version 17, Enlargement Trial." The message doesn't seem out of the ordinary, unless you take into consideration that a similar piece of dialogue contained a clue about when the game would launch.

User genosy compared this image to another post where Sucrose said "...So I guess I'll just call it... 'Sweet Flower Project 9, Version 28, Scent-Strengthening Trial!'" Since the game was launched on Sept. 28, and the two messages were written in a very similar fashion, it seems highly probable that MiHoYo is hinting at an important date. But what could be happening on March 17?

Some users in the thread have speculated that the date could have something to do with the upcoming Switch port. However, according to Game Rant, fans may be in for a new major location in March.

While it's entirely possible that the hidden message is hinting at a release date for the Switch port, another key word is "enlargement," which could imply an expansion of the world map. When looking at "Mist Flower Project," fans believe this alludes to the highly anticipated Inazuma, which is surrounded by water, just like Japan. If the expansion really is coming on March 17, Genshin Impact fans should be excited to explore a new location soon.

Genshin Impact was initially criticized as a Breath of the Wild clone. With so many fans protesting its launch (including the now-infamous PS4 destruction incident), things were not looking good for MiHoYo's big release. With a suspiciously similar art style, soundtrack, enemies, and set of environments, gamers felt like the dev team behind Genshin Impact ripped off The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Fortunately, this "Zelda clone" has proved to possess enough of its own unique qualities to not only set it apart from BotW but make it a remarkably successful game.

In fact, having a game that emulates a smash-hit Nintendo title can be seen as a win for fans of the series. After all, Nintendo is bringing a port to the Switch, so it would appear there are no hard feelings from the BotW developer/publisher.

One of the things that Breath of the Wild is known for is its large and expansive world map. Considering that Genshin Impact has made its mark by following the BoTW formula, it makes sense for that game to continue expanding its own world map. A big difference between Genshin Impact and Breath of the Wild, however, is that the former will continue to dole out fresh content while the latter was mostly complete after its DLC was released. This suggests that the world of Genshin Impact will likely continue its expansion while the world of Breath of the Wild will remain the same size.

Could the clone possibly outgrow the source material? Is it possible that Nintendo will have its eye on Genshin Impact as the game gets bigger, motivating the Zelda dev team to create an even larger world map for Breath of the Wild 2? If such is the case, perhaps the two franchises could engage in a friendly competition over who will have the biggest game. Friendly because remember, Nintendo is welcoming Genshin Impact into its house.

Who's to say this town ain't big enough for the two of them? Competition is always a great thing for consumers. In this case, gamers could see great new features and improvements in both franchises.

As for the fan theories, nothing is set in stone just yet. It's hard to deny, however, that there is a hidden message pointing to an important date in March. Is it when a new area will open up for users to explore? Will that area be Inazuma? Is it the day the Switch port will drop? Even if fans don't get an expansion on that date, it's more than likely that the map will continue to grow, giving players an even bigger world to explore.

Whatever MiHoYo has planned for March 17, it's sure to be exciting. Until then, fans will have to wait and see.