Gacha-based action role playing game Genshin Impact has recently kicked off a collaboration with internationally popular fast food restaurant Kentucky Fried Chicken, aka KFC.
Beginning on March 8th, a few KFC restaurants in China have temporarily redecorated, featuring Genshin Impact-themed designs such as cardboard cutouts playable characters from the game appearing in KFC uniforms or chicken buckets printed with limited edition Genshin images. From the walls to the table, seemingly every inch of the themed restaurants are covered with Genshin characters eating, ordering or serving chicken.
Only the characters Diluc and Noelle actually appear in “person” (as cardboard cutouts) in the themed KFC locations, but developer miHoYo has also released event-based stickers featuring a wide range of Genshin Impact characters enjoying KFC.
Ordering from KFC during the collaboration will also net Chinese players a code for an exclusive in-game item, a KFC-patterned glider called the Wind Wings. Currently, this item is only available in China, with international players unable to access the Wind Wings unless they travel to China, a difficult feat given that worldwide travel is currently still limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This resulted in a number of irate fans contacting miHoYo asking that the item be made available internationally. Currently, the Genshin Impact developer has made an announcement stating that fans outside of China, including those playing on American and European servers, will be able to obtain the Wind Wings beginning in July 2021. However, the developer did not clarify whether this means that themed KFC restaurants are coming to the West or that the item would be distributed in-game or obtainable in a way not connected to visiting a KFC location.
Genshin Impact is currently available for Android, iOS, PC, and PlayStation 4. A Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 release has been announced for a later date, but an official release date has not yet been announced.
