Genshin Impact Developer Subpoenas Twitter to Uncover Leaker Identities

Genshin Impact creator miHoYo has officially subpoenaed Twitter in an attempt to discover the identities of three prevalent leakers.

As spotted by Axios, the subpoenas were issued on HoYoverse’s behalf by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and targeted the individuals behind the Twitter accounts XWides, Merlin Impact and Genshin World. 

The legal documents demand that Twitter hand over a range of information including the telephone numbers, emails, and names of the leakers, along with their IP and real world addresses.

In other video game legal drama, MiHoYo, makers of Genshin Impact, got a California court to subpoena Twitter to reveal the identities of people behind three Genshin Impact accounts that tweet leaks

Comments from MiHoYo and one of the leakers here: https://t.co/DWvrVaa8vx pic.twitter.com/fPFJdb47Bv

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 22, 2023

Earlier this month HoYoverse’s Cognosphere division requested that Twitter delete posts from each of the above accounts on the grounds that the content infringed its copyright. However, according to Axios the tweets were never taken down, and Twitter did not immediately return the outlet’s request to comment on the new subpoenas. 

Leaks have become a commonplace annoyance in the video game industry, and miHoYo’s litigious move doesn’t represent the first time that a developer or publisher has resorted to legal action in an attempt to stamp down hard on digital spoiler farmers.

Back in 2019 the Pokemon Company sought to subpoena Discord and 4Chan to identify individuals responsible for leaking information on Pokemon Sword and Shield, eventually forcing two individuals to pay $150,000 each in damages.

Epic Games similarly took legal action against a UX tester responsible for leaking details on Fortnite Chapter 2 for breach of a non-disclosure agreement.

In light of HoYoverse’s proactive legal action, it is likely that the Genshin Impact creators will seek to make a similar example of the Twitter leakers should their real world identities become known.

In our review IGN gave Genshin Impact a 9/10, describing it as “an amazing open-world adventure that draws heavily on both its Breath of the Wild and anime inspirations to create something truly special”.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer