HOYO-MiX

In an interview with Shanghai Morning Post, Cai Jinhan mentioned that the name "HOYO-MiX" is actually "miHoYo" spelled backward, and "MiX" refers to audio mixing. In "HOYO-MiX," only the letter "i" is lowercase, symbolizing the individual, as "we both respect the individual and serve the collective, which is because we are the music department of miHoYo, and serving the product is essential."[12]

In 2011, a Vocaloid music group called "Hatsune Squadron" (初音战队), consisting of Cai Jinhan, Zheng Xiaoyu, and Xia Yihan, composed the theme song Gradually Collapsing Hatsune Miku (日渐崩溃的初音未来) for the manga Gradually Collapsing World (日渐崩坏的世界).[lower-alpha 1][14] The copyright for this song was later acquired by miHoYo, thus the three joined miHoYo to establish the "HOYO-MiX" studio. Cai Jinhan took on the role of HOYO-MiX leader while also serving as the music director for miHoYo.[1] Subsequently, the studio began creating soundtracks for various games under miHoYo.

On November 11, 2014, HOYO-MiX released their first OST album, Honkai World Diva - Guns Girl Z OST.[15] In 2017, HOYO-MiX collaborated with Japanese pianist and singer Mika Kobayashi to release singles such as Girl Inside and Honkai World Diva. Within half a month of their release, these singles entered the NetEase Cloud Music charts, with the remixed version of the theme song Honkai World Diva also making it to the top 10.[16] Since 2017, HOYO-MiX has collaborated with various singers, including Mika Kobayashi,[17] Chalili, Shang Wenjie,[18] Tanya Chua,[19] Hanser, Sa Dingding,[20] Tia Ray,[21] Hu Xia,[22] Weep Clouds (雲の泣),[23] Zhou Shen, TetraCalyx, Huang Xiaoyun, Ayanga, Huang Ling,[24] and Yusuf.

Starting from 2020, HOYO-MiX collaborated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra,[25] the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra,[26] the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra,[27] and the London Symphony Orchestra[28] to produce music for the game Genshin Impact and released multiple Genshin Impact original soundtracks.

The members of each game's music team, including the producer (director), are not unchanged. After the establishment of the Genshin Impact project, Cai Jinhan invited Chen Yupeng to produce the original soundtrack for Genshin Impact. In June 2020, Chen Yupeng officially joined HOYO-MiX as the music producer for Genshin Impact.[29][9] In the early stages of music production for Genshin Impact, Chen Yupeng was primarily responsible. As the game's world expanded to include the Inazuma region, other music composers such as Yuan Dimeng joined the creative process. For the Sumeru region, music production involved Zhao Xin, Jiang Yijun, and other music composers.[30] By the time of the Fontaine region, HOYO-MiX had established a comprehensive creative system and completed music production in the absence of Chen Yupeng's involvement.[31] On September 12, 2023, Chen Yupeng announced his departure from miHoYo and the HOYO-MiX team to continue pursuing his musical dreams;[10] the music producer role is succeeded by Yuan Dimeng, who also came from Chen's studio.[lower-alpha 2][7]

On December 12, 2021, miHoYo's HOYO-MiX and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music jointly hosted the 2021 Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Digital Music Festival. The event included activities such as a summit forum on game music creation and the finals of a game music competition, leading to the establishment of the "Digital Music Professional Alliance." Professor An Dong from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the artistic director of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Digital Music Festival, and a well-known composer, served as the director of the alliance. Cai Jinhan, the music director of miHoYo, served as the deputy director and deputy secretary-general.[33] In March 2023, HOYO-MiX continued to host the second Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Digital Music Festival, upgrading the "Digital Music Professional Alliance" to the "Digital Music Audio Professional Committee."[34]

HOYO-MiX's music for Genshin Impact has received widespread positive reviews. Gamegrape states that the character music in Genshin Impact brings aural "recognition," with each character's music attempting to create a unique soundtrack system that represents that character alone. The game's music not only possesses "purpose" and "functionality" but also has the "narrative ability" to tell the story of the characters.[51] IGN reviews praise that in the game, "the sights and sounds of this world are still a joy to behold, with breathtaking vistas around every corner and a memorable soundtrack to back them up."[52]

On platforms like NetEase Cloud Music, HOYO-MiX's works have consistently ranked high on the ACG charts. On bilibili, the Genshin Impact online concert "Melodies of an Endless Journey" had over 3 million views. On YouTube, the concert had over 4 million views.[53]

Several vocal tracks composed by HOYO-MiX have garnered widespread attention and appreciation. The game music The Divine Damsel of Devastation, composed by HOYO-MiX and performed by Yang Yang, an opera singer from the Shanghai Peking Opera Company, had over 15 million views within half a month of its release, attracting artists from various genres within the opera community for covers and adaptations.[54] HOYO-MiX's Chinese-style vocal song Samudrartha for Honkai: Star Rail reached the top three on the bilibili charts on the day of its release.[55] In the 2021 Weibo Game Awards, the impression song Rubia for Honkai Impact 3rd, sung by Zhou Shen, won the Best Game Music of 2021.[56]

The original soundtrack Le Vent et les Enfants des étoiles for Genshin Impact received second place in the "Spotify Streaming" category of the 2021 "PlayStation Game Music Awards."[57][58] Songs like Liyue, Contemplation in Snow, and Rapid as Wildfires from Genshin Impact were included in the music library of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.[59]

• HOYO-MiX's channel on YouTube
• HOYO-MiX on Twitter