Genshin Impact leakers jailed in landmark criminal case in China

It marks the first criminal case against video game leaks under updated legislation in China, signalling tougher consequences for those who share unauthorised and unreleased gaming content.

SHANGHAI: Two people have been sentenced to jail in China over leaking unreleased gameplay footage from the hit action role-playing game Genshin Impact - the first criminal case against video game leaks following updated legal guidelines.

The duo, surnamed Su and Wu, had repeatedly uploaded unauthorised videos of unreleased gameplay footage onto Chinese online video-sharing platform BiliBili, according to video game developer miHoYo, in a statement released by its legal team on Wednesday (Aug 5). It did not specify their ages or genders.

They were found guilty of copyright infringement, the statement said.

Leaked videos from Su garnered more than 600,000 views, while video views from Wu exceeded 300,000, it added.

It is unknown how they got access to the unreleased gameplay footage.

“Both surpassed the criminal prosecution thresholds stipulated in the judicial interpretation, thus meeting the conditions for criminal charges.”

Previously, criminal cases involving video game leaks required illegal proceeds exceeding 50,000 yuan (US$7408.45) to be filed.

However, the new rules stipulated that posting infringed content that rack up more than 100,000 views or exceed 10,000 downloads can be considered for criminal investigation, according to Shanghai-based City News Service.

Su was sentenced to one year and two months in jail, while Wu was sentenced to one year.

“The case marks the first criminal prosecution of game leaks under the new judicial interpretation issued by China’s Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate,” the company said.

CRIMINAL RULING SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE

Founded in 2011, Shanghai-based miHoYo is known for developing popular video games Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero. Genshin Impact, launched in 2020, reportedly has more than 300 million players worldwide, with 16 to 21 million active players per month.

The leaks were discovered in July 2025 during “routine monitoring”, the company said.

The footage, which spread widely online, featured “unreleased game content including yet-to-be-released characters, skills, and gameplay designs” that had “not yet been officially unveiled to players”, the company said.

“Large-scale premature leaks not only rob players of the anticipation for new content but also severely disrupt miHoYo's normal version release schedule and commercial arrangements,” miHoYo said in its statement, warning that unauthorised leaks also “harmed the company’s copyright interest”.

“Every frame of unreleased game content represents the design and craftsmanship of the development team, as well as the anticipation that every player holds for new updates.”

A police report was later filed, and two individuals were arrested.

The case was heard in court on Apr 24, with the verdict being delivered the same day.

The criminal ruling sent a clear message, miHoYo said - that those leaking unreleased video game content for profit have “crossed the red line of criminal liability and must bear corresponding legal consequences”.