After Three Years, “Encounter in a Different World” Resounds Again in Every Corner of KFC

In March 2021, the smoke-burdened staff at KFC could hardly have imagined that a slogan shouted by gamers at the counter would ignite the internet and remain so popular.

“Encounter in a Different World, Enjoy the Deliciousness” opened the door to a cross-dimensional collaboration between Genshin Impact and the real world. This memorable catchphrase itself became a meme, wrapped up with an ocean of internet parodies, anchoring memories and continuing to this day.

Indeed, the “dream collaboration” between Genshin Impact and KFC is back.

“Turns out you also play Genshin Impact?”

If the KFC collaboration catchphrase “Encounter in a Different World, Enjoy the Deliciousness” three years ago merely required some social skills, today’s collaboration demands you be a “social bull.” Not only must you shout out the phrase “Eat the cat hat without spitting out the hat cat,” but you must also, in front of everyone in the restaurant, raise your hand and mimic a cat’s meow, escalating your “otaku level” several notches, causing laughter from all around.

However, judging from the online and offline enthusiasm, the effect of this collaboration is no less than before. On the day the announcement was released, the comment section was bustling. Besides comments looking forward to the event, many recalled old jokes from three years ago, as if the last collaboration were just yesterday.

Based on past experiences of Genshin Impact collaborating with other IPs, seasoned “masters” had already prepared comprehensive, multi-dimensional collaboration guides for players, including how to make reservations, which restaurants to go to, and which materials are worth snapping up. But even so, the collaboration sets were instantly snatched up, prompting exclamations of “Who’s still playing Genshin Impact?”

And topping social media hot searches, flooding communities like Bilibili and miHoYo, is standard fare. In short, despite this not being Genshin Impact’s first IP collaboration, players’ enthusiasm for this collaboration remains undiminished, even challenging the popularity of “Encounter in a Different World, Enjoy the Deliciousness.”

To delve deeper into the reasons behind the explosive popularity of this event, besides the massive user base accumulated by the Genshin Impact IP, the appeal of the event itself to players can be seen as the most core reason.

Firstly, the unique interactive nature of the event can be seen as a form of indirect “ice-breaking” – loudly shouting out the tongue-twisting “Encounter in a Different World, Enjoy the Deliciousness” or “Wind will surely prevail, as promised,” this awkward interaction makes players laugh while also relaxing, bringing them closer together. A simple “Turns out you also play Genshin Impact?” allows two strangers to open their hearts face-to-face.

Secondly, from the Genshin Impact game community to offline events, players have maintained a friendly communication atmosphere. This gives the collaboration greater significance – socializing. For some players, what’s important about the collaboration is not the event itself, but finding friends who share the same interests.

Finally, the quality of the game itself has created a solid user base. Even today, many players are deeply attracted by Genshin Impact’s story, moved by its music and characters. These players contribute a portion of the heat in online and offline activities.

At the end of the day, the enduring heat of players and the game community still originates from the game’s stable content output capability.

Like the early game’s creation of “Divine Maiden’s Judgment” combining traditional culture, as well as numerous hit songs like “Nymph” sung by famous singers both domestically and abroad, they have captured the hearts of countless players with exquisite production, understanding of the underlying culture, and professional singing. Accumulating massive views, they’ve also spread the fame of Genshin Impact overseas, garnering plenty of “die-hard fans” from other countries.

(Foreign players watching the PV together)

Aside from the heat brought by official content output, the heat generated by players’ spontaneous creations cannot be underestimated. Songs, strategy videos, character animations, and other high-quality videos showcasing netizens’ creativity are abundant, with some videos even surpassing the official ones in views.

Creations aren’t limited to within the game. Art comes from life, and players are using their creative ideas to combine the game with life for creations. The myriad abstract parodies led by the KFC collaboration make many people burst out laughing on the spot. And the official has always encouraged players to create content related to the game. For this KFC collaboration, the official also held a secondary creation solicitation activity, providing more motivation for players to engage. In this regard, Genshin Impact players have never disappointed. This enduring heat is naturally a win-win situation for both players and the game company.

For Genshin Impact, the active participation and friendly interactions of players in the community are beneficial to the health of the community ecology; the player community can further “sink” and influence more players. Amidst the jesting of “Turns out you also play Genshin Impact,” everyone can proudly say “I play Genshin Impact,” enhancing their identification with the game. Over time, the game community can also further fuel the game’s popularity.

For players, offline events like the collaboration offer more face-to-face interactions. As mentioned earlier, offline events have a more significant meaning – socialization. In the lively store, players enjoy food while chatting about the game and life with strangers who play the same game. This is emotional value that cannot be obtained within the game, not to mention a player’s happiness.

Closing Thoughts

Aside from this collaboration with KFC, a flash mob in Shenzhen on July 20th and Genshin FES in August are awaiting players. This wave of social craze is about to surge again. This summer, Genshin Impact players have their hands full~