Genshin Impact dev sues leaker behind beloved HomDGcat wiki, who allegedly responded to a cease-and-desist letter by saying he'd only follow "some" demands

Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse, operating under its global Cognosphere identity, is suing yet another leaker for the "misappropriation" of its copyright material, seeking to shut down the popular HomDGcat wiki and its solo operator, and claim damages.

Per February Georgia court documents (thanks, Aftermath), Cognosphere claims that HomDGcat himself "built a substantial online following by unlawfully obtaining, and then disseminating to the public, copies of infringing and confidential unreleased content from the Cognosphere Games". In this case, that's Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.

HomDGcat is among the best-known leakers in the HoYo space, with his wiki collecting guides, calculators, beta changes, and other details regarding unreleased characters and content for Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. The wiki was just recently updated to include the newly released Genshin Impact character Zibai, for example.

The Genshin Impact character Keqing is the face of the site, which is described by HomDGcat as a way to "efficiently provide data for all players, so that everyone can easily obtain the information that they need."

Cognosphere alleges that HomDGcat "not only has engaged in massive copyright infringement; he also has been knowingly circumventing technological measures designed to prevent unauthorized access to Cognosphere's confidential information and has been actively soliciting third pirates to breach their confidentiality obligations to Cognosphere."

In total, Cognosphere estimates HomDGcat "published and disseminated thousands, if not tens of thousands, of pieces of unreleased content," including "copyrighted artwork for all [emphasis Cognosphere's] of the primary characters and creatures from Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail." The lawsuit includes multiple screenshots of HomDGcat wiki and/or Telegram posts sharing character and enemy details days or weeks before they were officially released.

HoYoverse has been tightening its grip on leakers, and would-be leakers in beta tests, for years. With multiple lawsuits filed and mountainous fees imposed, leakers from Genshin Impact to even Zenless Zone Zero have grown more careful about sharing pre-release information, obscuring identifying details and often laundering posts through various accounts, aliases, and apps.

The HomDGcat wiki is now headlined by a disclaimer reading, "HomDGCat Wiki will only update live game data in the future," seemingly in acknowledgement of leak complications.

Cognosphere claims it "attempted to resolve this matter informally" in December 2025 by sending HomDGcat a cease-and-desist letter by email and via Fed Ex, but says the leaker only responded on December 29 to say "he disagreed with Cognosphere's claims and would comply only with 'some' of Cognosphere's demands."

This, you may have deduced, was not enough for the company, which is not only pushing to "enjoin any further misappropriation and infringement," including the end of the HomDGcat wiki and social media accounts, but also for the court to "award to Cognosphere the full measure of damages and other relief to which it is entitled". The proposed damages are unclear and still "to be proven at trial".

After 4 years, Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail dev's mystery game seemingly revealed to be the open-world game Varsapura, in a trailer that screams Control so loud I'd bet Remedy heard it in Finland.