If you’re wondering why Genshin Impact’s Serenitea Pot is still under maintenance, it has something to do with Shanghai’s current situation. After COVID-19 cases spiked in Shanghai, the government decided to put the city under lockdown. However, residents were not expecting that the lockdowns would keep extending after it was first declared a few weeks ago.
How are Shanghai’s COVID lockdowns affecting game devs?
If you follow the latest Genshin Impact updates, there was a highly anticipated teapot event scheduled for Phase II. However, HoYoverse discreetly removed the Spices from the West in this phase’s event line-up. In return, Genshin is consistently compensating Travelers through Realm Currency every week. What we assumed was a routine check-up for Serenitea Pot turned out to be something more.
Before Ayaka’s rerun went live, the official Twitter account for Genshin Impact tweeted its usual announcement before new banners. But of course, some eager players quickly pointed out that the Spices from the West event was missing from the announcement. As of writing, HoYoverse has not issued any statements regarding these situations.
Aside from rising COVID-19 cases leaving companies no choice but to have a work-from-home set-up for their employees, Shanghai is also experiencing a food crisis. HoYoverse is ‘providing necessary supplies’ to their employees based in Shanghai.
Last week, HoYoverse gave Kotaku a statement on the company’s current situation:
“Our team in Shanghai is now working from home and doing our best to organize all the online work. We have also been providing necessary supplies to Shanghai team members at this special period. While the distance may bring challenges in communication and everyday tasks, it is vital to protect the health and safety of team members here.”
It’s relieving to know that HoYoverse and its employees in Shanghai are doing somewhat okay during these difficult times. But of course, it’s still scary especially since the sudden surge of COVID-19 cases is quite alarming.
We hope the COVID-19 situation in Shanghai will be resolved soon. Feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments down below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
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