You have to be a special sort of sad to want to cheat in a game like Genshin Impact, let alone one who would pay for the ability to do so. That’s regrettably what has been happening, but developer Hoyoverse is not taking the matter lying down and has taken several people to court for copyright infringement.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Canadian federal court this past November, names Joaquin Soriano and several other defendants as the creators of the cheat tools Akebi GC, Acrepi, and Genshin XYZ. These tools grant a wide assortment of game-breaking benefits, such as invincibility, endless stamina, the ability to teleport anywhere, and no attack cooldowns. The group is accused of selling subscriptions to these tools in spite of a cease and desist letter sent to them by Hoyoverse.
The suit argues that the tools in question not only harmed the RPG developer’s reputation, but were harmful to other players and the studio’s bottom line, as they “provide benefits that reduce the likelihood a player will make in-game purchases,” representing a “significant harm” to the otherwise free-to-play game. Hoyoverse also claims that it has lost money on finding and banning players using the tools.
The studio is seeking a complete stop to the sales of these tools and damages “in excess of $50,000.”
