Nobody wanted to see the Genshin Impact 2.7 update delayed, but unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. Developer Hoyoverse announced the delay last night, and we now don't know when we'll be getting the update or the livestream detailing the upcoming content.
The Genshin Impact 2.7 update delayed? But why?
Up until now, Genshin Impact updates, right up until the latest 2.6 update, have had a relatively stable release schedule. Unfortunately, however, Genshin Impact 2.7 has been delayed. Announcing the delay via Twitter, Hoyoverse attributed the postponement to "project progress" and promised to provide more information to players as soon as it was available. The studio doesn't explicitly state the Shanghai COVID-19 lockdown as a reason in the tweet, but it's pretty much certain that the lockdown is behind the delay.
Although Hoyoverse doesn't explicitly name the Shanghai lockdown in its tweet, it does in an earlier message sent via the Chinese social networking app WeChat. As pointed out by Redditor and translator chesterfeng0504, a message sent by Hoyoverse shows essential supplies the company donated to its local communities, accompanied by the message "although COVID delayed our schedule, it won't stop the warmth and emotions within us". There you have it, then; the delay is officially caused by the lockdown.
The signs were all there before this delay was announced. Earlier yesterday, Hoyoverse announced that the customary livestream for update 2.7 would itself be postponed, with no explicit reason given for that delay either. Even before that happened, fans were speculating that the update would be delayed due to factors like event cancellations, Hoyoverse's silence regarding an event being canceled on the English Genshin Impact Twitter account, and, of course, the escalating COVID-19 situation in China. Now, it looks like those fans' suspicions have been confirmed. Unfortunately, we don't have a timeline regarding when we can expect the Genshin Impact 2.7 update to drop, and given that COVID-19 is causing a lot of uncertainty in China, we may not get one for a little while either. We'll bring you more as soon as we get it, of course.
How is Genshin Impact doing right now?
Other than this update delay, Genshin Impact is doing pretty well. The 2.6 update, which contains content like the Ruin Serpent boss fight and new character Ayato, launched late last month. Generally speaking, the game has a pretty consistent update schedule, with update 2.7 ostensibly due to launch sometime next month. Even if that doesn't happen, Hoyoverse (which changed its name from Mihoyo in the West back in February) is almost certainly working to get back on track as quickly as it can. Hopefully, things will be back to something approaching normal before long.
You can download and play Genshin Impact for free right now on PC, PlayStation consoles, and mobile devices. A version for the Nintendo Switch is also in development, although Hoyoverse hasn't revealed anything regarding a tentative release window yet. While you wait for more news about the 2.7 update and the Switch version, make sure to check out our Genshin Impact guide hub, which has everything you'll need to get started in the vast and magical world of Teyvat.