The Chinese studio behind ‘Genshin Impact’ built a new fantasy nation. Players say it’s just modern Russia — frozen, broke, and rotten with corruption.

The Chinese studio behind the popular game Genshin Impact, miHoYo, recently added a new region called Snezhnaya to the game. The fictionalized nation is situated in a frozen, resource-scarce landscape and is said to be eerily similar to contemporary Russia. Although miHoYo claims Snezhnaya is a purely fictional fantasy state, developers have incorporated elements such as corruption, high prices, and a shared struggle among the people to build a "new, better world."

The region's name, character Alyosha, and even a reference to Alexey Navalny have led players to draw parallels between Snezhnaya and real-life Russia. The game's Russian localization and high-quality graphics have contributed to its popularity in Russia, where it was among the top four downloaded games in 2021. While the studio has maintained a presence in Russia throughout its full-scale war with Ukraine, the political and social nuances of Snezhnaya have sparked controversy among players, who find the portrayal of Russia's political and social issues both ironic and thought-provoking.