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In Genshin Impact update 5.6, material changes were made to several UI elements many months after an FTC ruling which banned developer HoYoverse, or publishing arm Cognosphere, from "selling lootboxes to teens under 16 without parental consent" and alleged that it had deceived "children and other users about the real costs of in-game transactions and odds of obtaining rare prizes."
HoYoverse paid a $20 million fine and was ordered to update how it presents its costs and odds, among other things. It is also rolling out a new wall for age verification for US Genshin players on May 20, with a July 18, 2025 deadline for completion. "If the verification is not completed by July 20th, 2026, the personal information of your HoYoverse account will be deleted permanently," a post reads.
How much Genshin Impact really costs
The limited-time character banner, where players can spend a special Fate currency on batches of 1 or 10 lootboxes in the hopes of obtaining the featured character (currently new character Escoffier), has a new description which notes that the "consolidated probability," or the overall odds while accounting for various 'pity' systems that eventually guarantee the desired character, is 1.103%.
As a result, "the cost of obtaining a 5-star event-exclusive character may vary from $1.98 to $475.20 (if purchased in USD)." Quite the range!
The limited weapon banner, which was fairly recently updated to be less punishing but is still widely disliked in the Genshin community, has a similar disclaimer. The consolidated 5-star odds there are 1.48% per wish, reflecting its slightly more generous pity count, so the cost of an exclusive 5-star weapon ranges from $1.98 to $422.40 in USD. A whole $50 cheaper!
To unpack this math, we also have to look at the new blurbs in Genshin's in-game shop, where you would purchase Genesis Crystals that can be converted to Primogems and then spent on Fates in confounding increments of 160. Clear as mud, right?
The shop now includes a Fate calculator of sorts, indicating how many pulls you're getting for your money. Here's the shortlist, which notably includes the first-time buyer bonus of doubled Genesis Crystals – an incentive to start spending, because companies know that after you spend once, you're more likely to spend again.
- $0.99 - 60 + 60 Genesis Crystals, or 0.7 Fates
- $4.99 - 300 + 300 Genesis Crystals, or 3.7 Fates
- $14.99 - 980 + 980 Genesis Crystals, or 12.2 Fates
- $29.99 - 1,980 + 1,980 Genesis Crystals, or 24.7 Fates
- $49.99 - 3,280 + 3,280 Genesis Crystals, or 41 Fates
- $99.99 - 6,480 + 6,480 Genesis Crystals, or 81 Fates
If you remove these first-time bonuses and keep spending hypothetical money, the cost of buying Fates outright rises dramatically, hence the $475 ceiling in the character disclaimer.
HoYoverse is essentially saying that that's the most it could cost if we assume – not unreasonably, given the low rates – that you get unlucky and have to rely on the built-in guarantee to get your character.
This also assumes you're brute-forcing the cost with real money alone, ignoring the Primogems and Fates given out in-game through regular rewards and special events.
Genshin Impact has not changed its drop rates or prices here, but these disclaimers are still a pretty big deal.
Gacha games like Genshin have historically gone out of their way to conceal and downplay costs with multiple currencies that obscure where exactly your money is going (into a black hole) and how much you'll need to spend to get what you want (more than you think).
This can act as a smokescreen or psychological cushion that makes it easier to spend since it feels like you're getting more for your money, or easier to spend more because you realize too late that you didn't buy enough of whatever currency and the sunk cost fallacy is banging on your door like a hurricane.
In reality, dropping $100 in Genshin, without a first-time bonus, doesn't even guarantee a single 5-star character or weapon.
This update, prompted by the FTC's order, has blown that smokescreen away. The FTC spells this out in its report on the complaint filed by the Department of Justice "upon referral from the Commission."
"Genshin Impact’s purchasing process obscures the reality that consumers commonly must spend large amounts of real money to obtain 'five-star prizes,' and that some children have spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars to win them," it reads. "The complaint alleges that the system is challenging and confusing, particularly for children and teens."
It's worth noting here that, in the storied history of gacha games, the biggest spenders, the so-called 'whales' that companies seek to harpoon, have spent more than just a few thousand dollars. In April 2024, gacha YouTuber Xlice posted a video reviewing the account of a Genshin player who had spent over $200,000 on the game. (Credit where it's due: the same player makes a point to donate heavily to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.)
The FTC continues: "Players must exchange real dollars for bundles of virtual currency that then have to be re-exchanged multiple times to open loot boxes, with exchange rates in unusual denominations. This complicated system, according to the complaint, misleads consumers about the amount of money that players spend on loot boxes on an ongoing basis, and the amount of money that players would likely need to spend to obtain certain prizes."
If the idea of spending over $400 on a single character or weapon in a video game, or spending $100 on microtransactions without even getting what you want, sounds absurd, well, good. It should sound absurd. And I say that as someone who's played Genshin Impact almost every day since it launched in September 2020 and just recently got into HoYo's newest game, Zenless Zone Zero.
I always compare these games to alcohol. They are inherently hazardous and fully capable of ruining your life or finances if you let them, but they can also be fun when enjoyed responsibly and in moderation. (Ironically, I don't drink!) Also: kids shouldn't have them.
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