From Honkai to Genshin, HoYoverse might’ve built its reputation on anime gacha games. But its next ambitious project could be taking a very different path. First teased by Unreal Engine 5 developers recruitment, the company’s next game resurfaced through recently leaked footage. Whether called Nodusfall or The Weaver, here’s everything we know so far about HoYoverse’s first realistic, Monster Hunter-styled, fantasy RPG.
What Exactly is Nodusfall?
Cognosphere, HoYoverse’s global publishing entity, filed a trademark for ‘NODUSFALL’ back on April 29, 2026. Interestingly, there’s no official mention of ‘The Weaver’ that ties to that name. However, a now-deleted post from X user Gacha_Zone might just have linked the two together. It claimed that ‘The Weaver’ is the company’s currently developed new ‘Monster Hunter-like game.’ The game may also have used ‘Genesis’ as its codename at some point in time.
The earliest clues for this project, though, seem to have traced way back — back in November 2025. According to a now-deleted hiring page (via ResetEra), HoYoverse was looking for developers to work on a ‘realistic fantasy game’ built using Unreal Engine 5. It listed that the game will feature an open world and MMO elements with an ‘artificial intelligence-stimulated ecosystem.’ The gameplay will have PvP, focus on boss fights, and ‘intellectual’ NPCs.
“<Join us for Genesis> miHoYo’s UE5 Realistic Fantasy Preresearch Project: Game Project. Enter a grand fantasy world. Ancient mysteries, ferocious demons and beasts, legendary heroes — choose your path, make companions. To restore the collapsed order, to end the corrupt contracts, and to confront the unpredictable will of the gods. The journey to uncover the truth is your heroic tale,”
That’s basically the description on the recruitment page, translated from Chinese using Google Translate.
HoYoverse also posted a very cryptic, but beautiful, environment showcase demonstrating what it could do with Unreal Engine 5. The 20-second teaser showed some kind of floating landmass looming over a rain-drenched swamp-like landscape. The twisty landmass lights up whenever lightning struck, with dragons soaring through the background.
The 20-second teaser was available publicly on https://boss.mihoyo.com/ subdomain from late 2025 until early 2026. The caption ‘Join Genesis’ also appeared on the page. But for some reason, the page eventually became inaccessible.
What Kind of Game is HoYoverse Making in Nodusfall?
Fast-forward to August 13, 2026, and it seems the project has come a long way. Over on Reddit, a bunch of in-progress gameplay footage suddenly leaked online. Giving excited fans their first look at what HoYoverse has been cooking behind closed doors.
Visually, Nodusfall looks like a fantasy world with a dark twist in the vein of Black Myth: Wukong. Environment renders show jagged rock spires jutting out of barren muted brown mountain trails and massive canyons covered in clouds. One screenshot shows a pitch-black area where a root-like structure fires beams of energy straight down from its hanging core.
The combat footage is where things get interesting. One video shows a Great Sword-wielding male character blocking a stone golem’s sword swings, then countering with a rising ground slash followed by an electricity-charged overhead strike. Another clip features a female character drawing back a Magic Bow and releasing a charged arrow blast at a stationary golem.
A third shows a human-sized enemy swinging an enormous hammer at the player before getting knocked back by a shockwave. Meanwhile, a fourth clip showcased a griffin-like monster whipping up tornado attacks in midair before an electrical grenade drags it back to the ground.
Still, between the animations, presentation, and even the health bar placement, Nodusfall looks a lot closer to a Soulslike than a Monster Hunter-style hunting game.
The leaked Nodusfall footage then showed the player opening a huge open-world map with most of the surrounding areas still covered by ‘fog.’ The character then fast-traveled to an area called ‘Deserted Ancient Road.’ Another video showcased a mount-riding mechanic as the player galloped along a riverside road on horseback.
That’s not all, as the leak also gives us a peek at Nodusfall‘s character and equipment menu screen. The user interface seems reminiscent of NetEase’s Where Winds Meet. A character, referred to as Weavers, can equip weapons with unique Talents and four ‘Spiritual Ornaments’ slots. One example, roughly translated to Flawless Ice, adds a Defense boost alongside a smaller Attack boost.
It’s unclear if Nodusfall will include a character creation option. However, the upgrade menu also displays four different playable characters, all with different gameplay ‘roles’ according to their icons. There are also four ‘Pathfinder’ skill trees for each character. Most seem to provide upgradeable passive bonuses, while one seems to be selectable active skills.
When Will Nodusfall Release?
Other than a trademark on NODUSFALL and a batch of leaked development footage, HoYoverse remains tight-lipped on the fantasy project. There’s currently no confirmed release window, platform list, or even the game’s title.
Nevertheless, rumors suggest that this project will be the company’s first big step out of the mobile gaming market. Instead of Android and iOS, Nodusfall will be released exclusively on PC and consoles.
