Coincidence Sparks a New Beginning

Eiji Shinbayashi from Sony Music Solutions (SMS) has produced numerous orchestral concerts for music from games and anime. In 2020, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shinbayashi was exploring various ways to adapt live events to the online world, and it was during this time that he noticed a game advertisement frequently appearing on his train commute. This was his first encounter with Genshin Impact.

"Curious, I looked up Genshin Impact videos online and was immediately captivated by the music from the Liyue, which is one of the regions inside the game," Shinbayashi recalls. "As I delved deeper into the game, I became increasingly drawn to the music from other regions as well. I knew then that I wanted to organize a concert of this game.

Created by HoYoverse, Genshin Impact is available on multiple platforms including PlayStation® 4, PlayStation® 5, smartphones, and PC, the game has gained worldwide popularity since its release in 2020 for its beautiful graphics and charming characters.

Xuetong Ma, meanwhile, had been planning an IP (intellectual property) business with HoYoverse even before the concert project was launched. The plan was to create a music and a music video (MV) for the Inazuma that appear in the game.

"After transferring to my current department, the first company I spoke with was HoYoverse. We brainstormed on what we could do with the Genshin Impact IP beyond the game itself, and the result was the music and MV featuring the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. It was so well-received that we were already talking with HoYoverse about the possibility of doing a concert next," Ma explains.

It was during this time that Shinbayashi approached HoYoverse. Thanks to the coincidence of timing, they were able to quickly reach an agreement on holding an orchestral concert.

The Key to Three-way Negotiations:
"Love for Genshin Impact" and "Passion for Creating Something Great"

The project started off well, but there were still many hurdles to overcome. Genshin Impact features areas that drew inspiration from various regions across the world, and the game's music incorporates many traditional and folk instruments, which required careful consideration during the arrangement process.

"The sounds of toraditional instruments are very impressive, but if we used all of them, they wouldn't fit on the stage. We had to replace some of them with other instruments, explains Shinbayashi. "In collaboration with HoYoverse, music director Sachiko Miyano took the lead in arranging the music for the stage."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all meetings were held online. Ma and others acted as interpreters for the negotiations with HoYoverse, with Japanese, Chinese, and English being spoken simultaneously. The key to reaching an agreement was everyone's shared love for Genshin Impact and passion for creating something great."

"The people at HoYoverse are all passionate about Genshin Impact. There were even times when our team would all play Genshin Impact multiplayer while discussing the project, and it must have been clear that Shinbayashi had a deep understanding of the game and a strong love for the work," says Ma. "I believe it was because we shared a common goal of wanting to create something special that they trusted us with the production of the stage."

Ma herself is also a big fan of the game, saying that she plays Genshin Impact almost every day and has collected all the characters.

Another challenge of the project was performing in over 15 cities around the world. The tour covered not only Asia, including Korea and Singapore, but also Europe and the Americas, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

"When HoYoverse told us they wanted to perform globally, we were hesitant because we didn't have any experience with overseas expansion," Shinbayashi recalls.

"When I discussed with the people involved within the company, they encouraged us to talk to various sections first. After consulting with the department in charge of our global business, we decided to have local partner companies that acquired the license to host the concerts based on the performance specifications created by SMS."

The Strength of One-Stop Realization of IP-Related Businesses

Following the successful Tokyo concert in December 2022, the Genshin Impact concert toured around the world, selling out venues in every city. Enthusiastic fans filled the venues, with some cosplaying as their favorite characters and others bringing their favorite character plushies.

"I was particularly impressed by a Japanese fan who posted on SNS about working part-time to buy a ticket for a classical concert for the first time. I was so moved,'" says Ma.

"A fan at one of our overseas concerts commented, 'It's so exciting to think that thousands of people in this venue is a Traveler (Genshin Impact player).' I realized that when people experience a game that they usually play online in an offline venue, it creates new value."

Genshin Impact is an online game with a constantly updating world. During the overseas tour, there were challenges such as having to quickly change the setlist to include music from newly released areas. Shinbayashi says he wants to utilize the knowledge he gained from these experiences in the future.

"We want to firmly promote the fact that we can reproduce what we create in Japan overseas as an SMS solution. In terms of IP business related to Genshin Impact, there are various opportunities of secondary business beyond just holding concerts. These include video production, CD audio production, merchandise sales, and overseas licensing. We believe that SMS's strength lies in our ability to carry out all of these activities in a one-stop shop."

Ma also said that through this project, she gained a deeper understanding of the IP business.

"I believe that Sony is a rare company in the world that has the assets and resources to create powerful content, as the influence of IP such as anime and games is growing worldwide. We can add new value to IP through group synergy, and when IP gains its popularity, it has a positive synergetic effect on surrounding businesses. I thought I understood this in theory, but I really experienced it through this project."