According to a press release from miHoYo sent out today, Genshin Impact will be coming to the Epic Games Store on June 9, 2021, alongside the much-anticipated 1.6 update. Though it might not sound like much, this could be quite a big deal. Currently the game is only available for PC download from the official Genshin Impact website, so its arrival on the Epic Games Store will mark its first appearance on one of the major PC game storefronts.

RELATED: Genshin Impact Downloaded More Than 17 Million Times On Mobile Alone

There doesn’t appear to be any plans at present to bring the game to Steam, so nabbing this semi-exclusive could give Epic an edge in its plans for PC domination. The game will remain free-to-play, but Epic is likely to take a cut of the considerable in-game spending if played on its platform. Considering Genshin Impact has skyrocketed to $1 billion in revenue in record time on mobile alone, it could end up making the Fortnite developer a pretty penny.

It’s likely no accident that the arrival on the Epic Games Store happens to coincide with the release of the 1.6 update for the game, either. This addition has been long awaited by fans, bringing with it a huge amount of new content, new characters, and new challenges. While this will obviously appeal to many current players, it may be enough to draw in a new round of players, many of whom could well decide to pick up the game on Epic’s platform. That could provide Epic with a healthy player base of its own to kick start its financial relationship with the game without having to cannibalize other platforms.

Of course, miHoYo claims that the reasons behind its partnership with Epic go beyond the merely financial. According to Forrest Liu, miHoYo is bringing the game to Epic in support of their broader philosophy of encouraging a variety of ways to play Genshin Impact. “The Epic Games Store is an expert in PC gaming, and we’re privileged to work with Epic to bring Genshin Impact to a broader global gaming community,” the company’s president said.

Whatever the reasons, the game’s arrival on the Epic Games Store is definitely notable. With the developers reportedly planning to continue supporting Genshin Impact for at least 12 years, it makes sense to bring it to a variety of platforms to maximize the number of potential players. With a Switch version on the horizon too, perhaps it’ll even end up on Xbox and Steam before long. Only time will tell.

Genshin Impact is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5, and will arrive on the Epic Games Store on June 9th 2021.

MORE: Genshin Impact’s Silence on the Switch Version is Concerning

Source: miHoYo/GamesPress