Genshin fans flock Cosplay Carnival; HoYoverse announces delay in new content

MANILA, Philippines — One of the biggest and most anticipated cosplay conventions in the country made a return to a live event this past weekend.

Though the event encountered a few issues like long lines, and the selling of tickets onsite being stopped due to the sheer volume of those wanting to attend, fans trooped to Cosplay Carnival in droves as their favorite characters — whether in books, anime or games.

Fans dressed Genshin characters were obviously among the notable attendies.

With 48 playable characters in-game currently and quite a handful of non-player characters (NPC) to cosplay, it was no surprise that the SMX Convention Center in Pasay, where the event being held, could have been mistaken for the game's world Teyvat with numerous cosplayers of multiple Genshin characters in attendance.

Game update delayed due to COVID-19 surge in Shanghai

Since the release of Genshin Impact in September of 2020, developer HoYoverse has been hosting special preview shows or trailers for the next game's update to fan the excitement of fans.

Sticking to the game's schedule of character banners every three weeks, the anticipated 2.7 update preview was said to be held last April 29 but that was not meant to be as Genshin Impact announced that they were encountering delays due to project progress.

Dear Travelers,

Due to project progress, the Version 2.7 update will be postponed.
For detailed information on the date of the new update, content adjustment plan, and compensation, please stay tuned for upcoming announcements.#GenshinImpact pic.twitter.com/FiiGQyJO1G

— Genshin Impact (@GenshinImpact) April 29, 2022

Many fans pointed to the surging cases in Shanghai, China (where HoYoverse's main office is currently located) as the reason for the delay. According to the World Health Organization dashboard, China recorded a total of 17,382 new COVID-19 cases on April 29. 

Many have replied to Genshin Impact's tweet with messages of prayers of good health for everyone working on the game.

Fans have also encouraged the community to explore the entire map, try using different characters in their team, or create a new account to experience the game anew given the delay of the new content.