'Honkai: Nexus Anima' trademark registration confirms next HoYoverse game

During the second-anniversary concert for the popular game Honkai: Star Rail, developer HoYoverse surprised fans with the first glimpse of a brand-new installment in the popular Honkai series.

While the official title remains under wraps, the online community has already begun speculating on a potential name due to a number of social media accounts and a recent trademark filing by the game’s parent company.

Since the global success of Genshin Impact, HoYoverse has become a dominant force in the gacha gaming landscape, consistently delivering fresh content for its existing titles and launching exciting new ones like Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, the latter having just been released on July 4th, 2024.

Honkai: Star Rail is soon to collaborate with popular anime series Fate/Stay Night, with artwork revealed for new units based on the series characters.

After nearly a year since their last major release, the company chose the “Star Rail Live” concert livestream to unveil their next project – another addition to the expanding Honkai universe.

The brief but intriguing reveal at the end of the Honkai: Star Rail anniversary concert began with the screen fading to black, followed by the unmistakable voice of Kiana, a prominent character from Honkai Impact 3rd, addressing the audience in Chinese.

The screen then illuminated, showing Kiana standing at a doorway, with a mysterious creature soon taking center stage.

Immediately following Kiana’s appearance, the screen transitioned to show Blade, a key character from Honkai: Star Rail, suggesting a potential crossover or connection between the two games.

Sandwiched between these familiar faces was a frame showcasing another pair of characters accompanied by their own unique pets, strongly hinting at new characters who will be introduced in this upcoming Honkai title.

During the short trailer, Kiana mentioned being in a new world facing new challenges. Subsequently, a screen displaying silhouettes of various characters appeared, accompanied by a title card confirming that this is indeed a new Honkai game.

While official details about the gameplay and story remain scarce, the initial premise appears to revolve around the characters and their accompanying pets.

The game’s name is widely rumoured to be Honka: Nexus Anima, which is supported by a recent trademark filing by miHoYo with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office):

Adding fuel to the speculation, newly created Honkai-related accounts on X (formerly Twitter) also bear the name Honkai: Nexus Anima.

While HoYoverse has released numerous titles under the Honkai banner, the new game will mark the third main entry in the core series, following Honkai Impact 3rd and Honkai: Star Rail.