Mihoyo Faces Lawsuit in China Over Zenless Zone Zero Antagonist Name Similarity With Real Company!

A recent legal case has sparked discussions among fans and followers of Mihoyo, the studio behind games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero. On April 27, a document surfaced showing that Yuan Jing Ning Yuan, a major renewable energy company in China, is officially suing Mihoyo. It seems like after the VA Controversy, Mihoyo really didn’t have any relaxing time this years.

The main issue? A name used inside Mihoyo’s new game, Zenless Zone Zero. In the game, there’s a fictional construction company called Vision Corporation, which plays the role of the main antagonist in the first chapter. In the Chinese version, the company’s name starts with the same characters as Yuan Jing—the exact same way the real-world energy company writes its name in Chinese.

When translated, Yuan Jing roughly becomes Envision in English. That’s also a known name for the real-life energy company. While the names may not seem exactly alike in English, the shared Chinese characters may be enough to cause confusion, especially since the in-game version is portrayed as a corrupt and scandal-ridden company.

The lawsuit appears to be focused on online rights infringement, with the energy company likely arguing that the use of a similar name in a negative context could hurt its public image or brand trust.

At the time of writing, Mihoyo has not issued any public statement regarding the lawsuit. This case brings up an important point for game developers—using names that sound too close to real-world companies, especially in controversial storylines, might lead to legal problems. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out in court.