Genshin Impact leaks on thin ice once again as hub of nearly 400,000 players faces legal notices

The biggest Genshin Impact leak aggregate in the game's Western community is battening down the hatches after receiving "a high number of notices for infringing content," presumably from developer Hoyoverse or publisher Cognosphere.

In a recent update, the moderators of the Genshin Impact leaks subreddit, some 393,000 followers strong, announced a mandatory shift to hosting images of leaks externally rather than directly attaching them to posts. "There is no real choice but to make changes, otherwise there is the risk of action being taken against the subreddit," the notice reads. "And even then, the measures outlined below may not be enough and further changes may be necessary. More updates will follow if there are any further developments."

The subreddit is still accepting new posts about leaks, but now they have to be tied to something like social media or an image hosting site before they can be shared. "This change will undoubtedly negatively impact the viewing experience, and it may push some users away from this subreddit, but the move to hosting this content on other sites before posting here is a necessary one," the mods added.

This wouldn't be the first time Genshin Impact's creators have gone after leakers, or even this subreddit, but a significant change to how leaks are shared in a leak aggregate of this size feels a turning point in the quiet legal battle over pre-release details. I don't think leaks will ever truly disappear, but the steady stream of unofficial information does seem to gradually be slowing to more of a drip, and I have to wonder if externally hosting that drip is going to be enough to placate the Genshin lawyers.

In the past six months alone, Hoyoverse sent its lawyers after Genshin's biggest Western leaker, who's now dropped out of the scene entirely, only to quickly suffer an enormous leak of future characters.

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Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.