Genshin Impact voice cloning case ends with HoYoverse winning $105,000
Story Highlights HoYoverse has won a lawsuit against an AI voice changing app featuring voices based on 63 Genshin Impact characters.The operator admitted using unauthorized Genshin Impact audio to train its AI voice…
- HoYoverse has won a lawsuit against an AI voice changing app featuring voices based on 63 Genshin Impact characters.
- The operator admitted using unauthorized Genshin Impact audio to train its AI voice model and was ordered to pay RMB 750,000 in damages.
- The case is being reported as Shanghai’s first unfair competition ruling involving AI voice imitation.
HoYoverse (miHoYo), widely known for hits like Genshin Impact and more, has just won a lawsuit in Shanghai over the unauthorized use of its character voices in an AI voice-changing app. The software reportedly offered voice packs based on 63 Genshin Impact characters, leading the company to take legal action against its operators.
HoYoverse wins lawsuit over unauthorized Genshin Impact voices
If you’re unaware, the case dates back to 2025, when HoYoverse discovered that the app was offering paid voice resources based on 63 Genshin Impact characters. According to reports from Sina Finance, the company argued that the service could make users sound like specific characters, creating confusion over the source of those recognizable voices. They also used images of these characters.
The operator claimed that the voices were generated through an AI model and that the rights belonged to the individual voice actors. However, a voiceprint assessment found that the generated voices were inclined to be identified as the same as the original character voices. They also admitted using around one minute of Genshin Impact character audio, mixed with other voice samples, to train its AI model without authorization.
Court orders AI app operator to pay $105,000
So, the Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court ultimately ruled that the unauthorized use of the character voices amounted to unfair competition. The operator has been ordered to stop the practice and pay HoYoverse RMB 750,000, which is roughly $105,000 in damages. The ruling is also notable since it is reportedly Shanghai’s first unfair competition case involving AI voice imitations.
Moreover, it comes shortly after China’s Supreme People’s Court issued new guidance on AI-related disputes, including cases where voices are used without consent to create synthetic voices that can identify the original person. For the gaming industry, the HoYoverse case could become an important example of how courts deal with AI-generated voices based on recognizable game characters.
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