Why Zenless Zone Zero Might Face an Uphill Battle in the Gacha Space (2024)

Zenless Zone Zero, the next stylish gacha game from Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse, is looking to set itself apart from the rest of its free-to-play brethren. The game's setting and premise are decidedly distinct from Genshin Impact's, which has captured the hearts and minds of HoYoverse fans around the world, who await the game's official release on July 4.

Some may be wondering just how different Zenless Zone Zero is from HoYoverse's other titles, though. It looks like Zenless is offering a combat sandbox that has more in common with GenshinImpact than Honkai Star Rail, as it offers real-time combat cranked up to a breakneck pace, in contrast to Honkai's turn-based gameplay. At the same time, Zenless's cyberpunk genre trappings, unique narrative, and urban exploration promise to make it a strong, new creative force in the gacha genre. ZenlessZone Zero's novelty and innovation could make all the difference when it comes to its success in the increasingly jam-packed live-service market.

The Free-to-Play Gacha Space Might Be Getting too Busy for Zenless Zone Zero

Gacha Gaming Is a Crowded Market

Zenless Zone Zero is releasing soon, but by no means is it replacing HoYoverse's other free-to-play titles; Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail are as popular as ever, providing players with countless hours of entertainment. Then there's the recently released Wuthering Waves, a non-HoYoverse gacha game that nevertheless takes clear cues from Genshin. All these titles have a good deal of overlap with their fan bases; the three are in fierce competition with one another, and the fact that they are all free-to-play makes it easy for fans of one to hop over to another.

Both Honkai and Genshin receive regular updates, sharing the mission of virtually all free-to-play titles: to monopolize players' time as much as possible. But of course, time is finite, and there are only so many hours that gacha fans can pour into games like Genshin, Honkai, and Wuthering Waves. More than any other gaming market, the free-to-play, live-service space faces the biggest threat from oversaturation due to its considerable, inherent time demand. Zenless has certainly caught the attention of gacha fans, but players only have so much free time, and unless it cannibalizes Honkai and Genshin (which HoYoverse no doubt wants to avoid), it could wind up falling by the wayside.

How Zenless Zone Zero Can Succeed In Spite of Steady Competition

Players looking to stick with games like Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact alongside Zenless Zone Zero may be in for a bit of a packed gaming schedule, but this demographic is certainly being targeted: it's clear that Zenless is appealing to fans of previous HoYoverse games. At the same time, the way the game departs from its predecessors may be its ace in the hole.

Instead of pulling from the pool of existing gacha fans, many of whom are still preoccupied with the likes of Genshin and Wuthering Waves, Zenless could succeed by drawing in new demographics. This may be just what the game is aiming for, as the stylish, white-knuckle combat shown off in the game's previews is sure to make fans of hack-and-slash titles prick up their ears. Additionally, the game's approach to exploration, side activities, and art design all help to distinguish it from other HoYoverse games, which may be enough to rope in players who have slept on previous gacha titles. Zenless Zone Zero might have to do this to sustain itself, appealing to more than the existing HoYoverse fanbase.

Zenless Zone Zero

A fantasy urban action RPG from Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail developers at HoYoverse. Zenless Zone Zero takes place in a post-apocalyptic location known asNew Eridu, where entities known as Ethereal have wiped most of humanity out. As a group known as Proxies, players will be fighting back against the Ethereal using the different abilities of characters to increase damage and combos.

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , iOS , Android

Released

July 4, 2024

Developer(s)

HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)

Publisher(s)

HoYoverse

Genre(s)

Action RPG

Engine

Unity

ESRB

T (Teen) - Suggestive Themes & Violence