MiHoYo, the company behind the popular free-to-play game Genshin Impact, has given fanfiction writers the all-clear to create their own stories with the game’s characters or universe — even if they want to make money from their works (via Kotaku). Commercialized fanfiction has long existed in a legal gray area, and MiHoYo making clear rules about how fans can sell it and physical merchandise is a big move for such a popular video game.
In an update to the rules for fan-made merchandise, posted on MiHoYo’s community site, the company said that “novels or stories written by fans” won’t need to be officially declared, “whether for profit or not.” That means that creators won’t have to fill out any forms letting the company know they intend…
