By Manila Bulletin Newsroom
Published Jul 28, 2025 01:41 pm
By Jared John K Cheng, 16
Grade 11
Xavier School San Juan
HoYo Fest is MiHoYo’s official fan convention, bringing together fans of its biggest gacha games—”Genshin Impact,” “Honkai: Star Rail,” “Zenless Zone Zero,” and “Honkai Impact 3rd”. It’s all about the community, with offline events like Artist Alley, exclusive merchandise drops, cosplayers, and game-themed activities. This year, it’s focused on Southeast Asia and is only happening in six countries, which include Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
This year’s HoYo Fest was held at SMX Convention Center Manila, Hall 3 in Pasay City, and from what I saw, the venue had about twice the space compared to last year’s location at SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall. The additional space was definitely appreciated—it felt less crowded overall and made it easier to move around and enjoy the event.
Nearby the entrance/exit was the HoYoverse Experience Zone where you jump in and play using the laptop, phone, tablet, or a portable gaming console provided. There were open-stage performances where attendees competed against each other. Acrylic standees were awarded to the winners.
Official merchandise for “Genshin Impact,” “Honkai: Star Rail,” and “Zenless Zone Zero” with limited stocks per day. Each purchase, depending on the amount, included freebies such as a HoYo Fest postcard or a 2025 Badge Blind Box containing one of four badges.
The game booths had quest-style missions in either offline or online activities. These tasks included showing your UID (user identification number) in exchange for a hologram ticket that came with in-game rewards.“Genshin Impact,” “Honkai: Star Rail,” “Zenless Zone Zero,” and “Honkai Impact 3rd” had their own booths. Collecting all four tickets lets you get a free photo at the HoYoverse photo booth.
The Artist Alley was a great addition this year. It’s a dedicated area for fan artists and creators to showcase and sell their HoYoverse-themed art prints, keychains, pins, and stickers.
With the bigger venues, more activities, and the addition of the artist alley, HoYo Fest keeps on getting bigger and better. I am definitely looking forward to what they will bring to us next year.
Jared John K. Cheng, 16, is a Grade 11 student at Xavier School San Juan. He covers school events as a photographer, with a growing passion for visual storytelling. His interests span sports—especially basketball, badminton, and go-karting—as well as motorsports, where he is particularly drawn to the engineering behind Formula 1. Outside the lens, Jared is immersed in gaming, anime, and Japanese pop culture. He is also exploring mechanical engineering and 3D printing as creative and technical outlets.
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