Genshin Impact train spotted in Xiamen
Spectacular advertisements are nothing new when it comes to Genshin Impact – crossovers with fast food chains, putting teleportation hubs from the game into the actual Alps, helping a university recruit students, HoYoverse has done it all. You can add another publicity stunt to the list now, as a Genshin Impact-themed train has been spotted serving Metro Line 1 in Xiamen, a city with about 7.2 million inhabitants in the southeast of China.
Official artwork of different characters decorate each entrance to the train, welcoming the new passengers onboard. Inside, the train is outfitted with Genshin Impact-themed art as well, with main characters Aether and Lumine being present on every door. Small portraits of Paimon are found on the walls. You can find some impressions in this video on Chinese site bilibili.com.
This prominent real-life appearance of Genshin Impact isn’t necessarily an ad for the game itself, but promotes a green transportation initiative in collaboration with Alipay. The QR codes you see inside the train allow passengers that use public transportation via Alipay to collect credits, which in turn can be exchanged for Genshin Impact resources like Primogems and Mora. Passengers can also buy souvenir Genshin Impact train tickets.
This probably would have been a better fit for Honkai: Star Rail, which is decidedly more train-themed, but with Genshin’s popularity still being much more widespread, it’s probably the best choice for the promo campaign.
In terms of spectacular video game ads on transportation vehicles, the collaboration between Blizzard Entertainment and Korean Air to promote StarCraft 2 back in 2010 probably takes the cake: The airline painted the sides of a Boeing 747-400 and a Boeing 737-900 with the game’s logo and protagonist, Jim Raynor, using the planes on domestic as well as international flights.
