The upcoming collaboration between Honkai Star Rail and Fate/Stay Night is imminent. In a recent exclusive interview facilitated by Denfami Nicogamer, Kinoko Nasu, the renowned creator behind TYPE-MOON, discussed the evolving landscape of mobile gaming and credited Genshin Impact for bridging the longstanding divide between mobile and console gaming.
Kinoko Nasu Highlights Genshin Impact’s Impact on Mobile and Console Gaming
Kinoko Nasu reflected on the historical challenges of crafting engaging mobile games, noting that earlier mobile titles were often dismissed as mere “time-wasters” compared to the more immersive console games.
“If console games were like hour-and-a-half-long feature films, mobile games were more like four-panel comics—entertaining, but over in a flash.”
He elaborated on the progression mobile games have undergone, stating, “By the era of Chain Chronicle, Granblue Fantasy, and FGO, they had reached a level comparable to weekly serialized manga.” This evolution signaled increasing depth and engagement in mobile gaming experiences.
Nasu emphasized that while consoles traditionally offered ‘rich and lavish’ gaming experiences, mobile games needed to compensate through daily accessibility and social connectivity features. This dynamic shifted dramatically with the release of Genshin Impact.
“Whether by luck or misfortune, the long-standing gap in gameplay depth between mobile and console games—to put it bluntly, the ‘one-tier-below’ disadvantage—was closed. After Genshin Impact, newer mobile games began achieving a level of quality that could rival console games. This marks the first point of generational shift.”
This perspective resonates with recent trends in the gaming industry. Since Genshin Impact’s debut, several gacha games such as Wuthering Waves, Honkai Star Rail, Tower of Fantasy, and Zenless Zone Zero have emerged, following its example and achieving high-quality standards on mobile platforms.
Looking ahead, titles like Ananta and Neverness to Everness promise to elevate gameplay quality further, though their actual impact remains to be seen.
Mobile gaming is advancing toward parity with consoles, especially as hardware capabilities improve, potentially enabling simultaneous releases across mobile, console, and PC platforms. Meanwhile, fans can anticipate the imminent arrival of Honkai Star Rail x Fate/Stay Night collaboration characters.
This interview was originally conducted by Japanese media outlet Denfami Nicogamer and published on July 8, 2025. The original article can be accessed here.