HoYoverse wins $1.5 million lawsuit against hacker who made Genshin Impact cheat tools 

Law firm DLA Piper has obtained a judgement in favor of Chinese publisher HoYoverse (Cognosphere) in a copyright infringement lawsuit against a “self-proclaimed hacker” who co-developed Genshin Impact cheat tools (spotted by Game*Spark). 

The lawsuit was initially filed in Canada back in February this year over the creation and distribution of cheat tools called Akebi GC, Acrepi and Genshin XYZ. These programs allow Genshin Impact players to bypass the rules of the game, gaining an unfair advantage over others and receiving benefits normally offered through in-game purchases. Reports at the time mentioned a group of defendants being sued, but based on DLA Piper’s announcement, it seems the final judgment was brought against an individual. 

In addition, the Canadian court has awarded HoYoverse $1.5 million in damages, despite the initial claim by the publisher being around $50,000 (it is not specified whether the amount is in USD or CAD, but $1.5 million CAD would amount to $1.06 million USD). Compensation may have ballooned due to the fact that HoYoverse issued repeated warnings before suing, which the defendant initially showed signs of complying with but ultimately ignored, continuing to distribute the illegal cheat tools.