The developer of Genshin Impact, HoYoverse, is making a significant change to how gaining new characters will work in its upcoming game, Nodusfall. The new HoYoverse game was revealed during Gamescom Opening Night Live, and will be a departure from the Genshin Impact formula in more ways than one.
Nodusfall looks considerably different from Genshin Impact and HoyoVerse’s other popular gacha games, with more realistic-looking characters and dark themes, with strong similarities in visual style to Elden Ring. The co-op game will let players form squads together, with teamwork a must for bringing down the powerful creatures they’ll be facing off against. However, those aren’t the only differences between Nodusfall and HoYoverse’s other games.
Nodusfall Won’t Feature Character Gacha Pulls
Now, the developers at HoYoverse have revealed that while Nodusfall will be a free game, it will handle things differently than titles like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero. Speaking with PC Gamer, the devs explained that Nodusfall characters won’t be obtained through “random draws,” which typically refers to gacha mechanics. Instead, the “core gameplay expeirence” will be unlocked through standard gameplay. However, character customizing is on the table for monetization. It’s not clear if HoYoverse is planning on doing something like opening a standard in-game shop for cosmetics that can be purchased with real-world money, or if the customization items might instead be locked behind gacha mechanics.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
So far, gamers responding to the details seem to be cautiously optimistic. Several have voiced that they don’t like character gachas because they can effectively be a paywall, which can make completing some content difficult or downright impossible, depending on which game one is playing and who they have on their roster. Some have said that they’re fine with the idea of the game still having gacha monetization so long as it’s limited to cosmetics and doesn’t have an actual impact on gameplay. However, since HoYoverse’s plan seems vague at this time, there are some who remain dubious.
While Nodusfall will be a departure from the gacha formula for HoYoverse, it remains to be seen if the same can be said of its future projects. HoYoverse already has several games that are being actively supported containing character gacha, equipment gacha, or both, including Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zoneless Zone Zero, which all earn considerable sums. More new games are also in the works from the company, including Honkai: Nexus Anima, Petit Planet, and open-world game Varsapura, which could all potentially include standard gacha monetization.
So far, there isn’t a release window for Nodusfall, so it may be some time yet before players learn more about how the game will work. Pokemon-like game Honkai: Nexus Anima and Petit Planet also lack release dates, but have already held multiple beta tests, so they may be the next two games players can expect from the developer. Varsapura, on the other hand, was only announced in late 2025, and opened beta test recruitment back in July. In any case, there’s certainly plenty to look forward to for fans of HoYoverse, and skipping a paid character gacha may help it find new ones, too.