Genshin Impact developer miHoYo recently announced that it would be shutting down the servers for its experimental AI-companion game BSide: Olivia Lin, citing “phased planning and future arrangements.” The title is set to be removed from Steam on August 31, with an offline version scheduled for August 27.
BSide: Olivia Lin is a generative AI-powered companion app which lets players interact with Lin Li, a university student from Shanghai who majors in piano and minors in psychology. In the game, players can listen to Lin’s live performances, ask her for creative advice, exchange letters, and upload their own music files to generate music videos.
The title launched in Early Access on July 13, and has received over 1,500 reviews on Steam, with an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating. Originally, it was planned for the game to stay in Early Access until late 2026, but it seems that miHoYo has decided to end services much earlier.
The offline version of BSide: Olivia Lin, coming only four days before its removal from Steam, will allow players to continue listening to Lin Li’s piano performances, and is also set to offer features such as dynamic desktop wallpapers. However, features like MIDI uploading or letter composition, which rely on online services, will be unavailable. Additionally, the developers warn that the offline version will only be available for download until August 31, and will be removed from the Steam store page alongside the live-service version.
