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Genshin Impact creator MiHoYo is funding a new project working on an experimental nuclear fusion reactor.
As PanDaily (opens in new tab) reports, MiHoYo joined Chinese investment firm NIO Capital to lead a $63 million funding round for the development of the world’s first miniature Tokamak, a type of magnetic containment device and a frontrunner among fusion reactor designs, headed up by the Shanghai-based company Energy Singularity. The project is pursuing a practical form of nuclear fusion to back “the next generation of high-performance fusion devices.”
If you’re wondering – because we certainly were – nuclear fusion is essentially the opposite process of nuclear fission. To boil it down to the simplest terms, the former involves smashing two nuclei together, while the latter focuses on splitting a nucleus in two. Both processes create energy, and while nuclear fusion is currently seen as less pragmatic due to engineering challenges, it’s also more desirable because it’s less radioactive and fuel-intensive than fission.
So why is MiHoYo getting involved? MiHoYo is known for Genshin Impact as well as other games like Honkai Impact 3rd, Tales of Themis, and the upcoming turn-based JRPG Honkai Star Rail, none of which involve the fusion of nuclei or the generation of energy. However, the company has positioned itself as more than a game studio with its motto “tech otakus save the world,” as well as support for other experimental projects like brain-computer interface technology (opens in new tab). With its new publishing brand, HoYoverse, the company’s broadening its horizons even further to incorporate other media as it works to build “an immersive virtual world experience.”
It’s quite a jump to go from cool VR stuff and perhaps a Genshin Impact anime to experimental nuclear energy, but MiHoYo’s certainly following its motto. If nothing else, may the possibility of sustainable nuclear energy comfort you the next time you lose a coin flip while rolling on a limited character banner.
MiHoYo also seems to have a “paranormal” shooter in the works.
