HoYo FEST, the annual event by developer and publisher HoYoverse, was warmly welcomed by fans of Genshin Impact, the Honkai franchise, and Tears of Themis.

What’s in HoYo FEST?

[Picture: HoYo FEST 2023 banner.]

Happening in SM Megamall in Ortigas from October 23 to October 29, this year’s HoYoFEST featured all of the HoYoverse games, shying away from the previous year’s weeks-long collaboration with cafes for each game.

[Picture: Event laptops with Zenless Zone Zero. Text: Fans get to try out Zenless Zone Zero at HoYo FEST | via Esports Inquirer]

Apart from its usual featured titles, HoYoverse gave Filipino gamers their first chance to play a demo of their upcoming game, Zenless Zone Zero. A futuristic action RPG set in “New Eridu,” ZZZ was revealed last year and caught the eye of gamers due to its stylish character design and combat.

[Picture: Event screen. Text: via Esports Inquirer]

There are scheduled events every day happening on the Main Stage, catering to fans of each HoYoverse title. On the event grounds, themed booths for Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Honkai Impact 3rd, Tears of Themis, and Zenless Zone Zero. Fans can participate in various activities at the booth to earn freebies and special rewards.

[Picture: Event notice boards showing schedule. Text: HoYo FEST Event Schedule | via Esports Inquirer]

HoYoverse looks to improve the fan experience

[Picture: Long queue lines in SM Megamall near event center. Text: HoYo FEST crowd during the first day | via Esports Inquirer]

While well-received by fans, the event had its share of troubles. The small venue at the mall’s lower ground floor meant that the concurrent entrants were limited and were a primary cause of the long lines. The two queues, one for entry to the event proper and another for buying merch, spanned the mall’s six floors and confused the event-goers.

[Picture: Event tables with coordinators. Text: HoYo FEST merch table, day 1 | via Esports Inquirer]

One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, cited that they waited 7 hours in line only to find out that they were in the wrong queue. Speaking with Inquirer.net, they added that they were “disappointed in the [event organization] as a fan,” saying that they only had free time during the weekends as somebody with a full-time job.

[Picture: Dice for on-site activities. Text: Fans roll Genius Invokation TCG dice at the Genshin Impact booth for freebies | via Esports Inquirer]

“HoYoverse is always trying to improve – we’ll learn from any mistakes we made this year and we’ll try to improve,” said Amos Yeo, Senior PR Manager for Southeast Asia for HoYoverse in an interview with Esports Inquirer.

[Picture: A life-size plushie of Pom-Pom from Honkai Star Rail at the event. Text: via Esports Inquirer]

Coming back the following days, the lines for event entry considerably improved on top of having a more streamlined experience for the merch buyers.

“If you’re a HoYoverse fan, please come on down and have fun with your fellow fans, enjoy what we have to offer.” Yeo invited the Filipino audience. HoYoFEST Philippines is located on the Lower Ground Floor, SM Megamall, Ortigas until October 29th.