Zenless Zone Zero Developer Insights: How HoYoverse Builds New Eridu
HoYoverse’s Zenless Zone Zero transforms the gacha genre by making New Eridu not just a backdrop but a “living city,” evolving through player feedback and iterative updates. Drawing inspiration from real-world metropolises, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, even a San Francisco–style bay area, the developers emphasize verticality, hidden alleyways, and time-locked “special incidents” to create immersion. Retro-modern aesthetics, from flip-phones to VHS-style video stores, reinforce the city’s narrative of surviving and thriving amid Ether-corrupted Hollows. As the team looks ahead, expansions like Lumina Square and planned hot-pot restaurants promise even deeper urban interactivity.
Introduction to New Eridu Development
New Eridu serves as the last bastion of humanity, a post-apocalyptic city built atop the ruins of Old Eridu to harness the Ether energy leaking from Hollows. Unlike static hubs in many RPGs, Zenless Zone Zero’s world team treats New Eridu as a dynamic environment, expanding it over multiple updates to keep the setting fresh and engaging.
Inspiration Behind the City Design
Developers have confirmed that New Eridu draws loosely on East Asian megacities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, blending neon skylines with crowded street markets to evoke an “urban fantasy” atmosphere. Moreover, aspects of Lumina Square, the new waterfront district introduced in Version 1.0, were modeled after San Francisco’s bay area, complete with a suspension bridge and cruise ships on the horizon.
Building a “Living City”
Producer Zhenyu Li admits that early areas like Sixth Street and Lumina Square are “not adequate” to fully realize the team’s ambitions, hinting at future developments such as hot-pot restaurants and hidden alleys that expand gameplay beyond basic Hollow commissions. He prefers the term “living city” over “real city,” emphasizing unpredictable NPC routines and vertical spaces, like cafes with rooftop verandahs, that players can explore for unexpected interactions.
Time-Locked Events
Mirroring life-simulation elements, the city’s time system triggers “special incidents” at defined hours, so certain NPCs, shops, and hidden quests only appear at night or during specific in-game periods. This design choice encourages players to revisit familiar streets at different times, deepening immersion.
Retro-Modern Aesthetic
Despite its futuristic premise, New Eridu embraces a retro and analog aesthetic: residents use flip-phones reminiscent of the early 2000s, rent VHS tapes at the Random Play video store, and watch broadcasts on CRT monitors to avoid Ether corruption of advanced tech. This choice not only reflects narrative lore but also differentiates Zenless Zone Zero from other titles in HoYoverse’s portfolio.
Official World-Building Notes
According to the New Eridu Settlers Guide, mastering Hollow technology is integral to city life, citizens literally live next to rifts into other dimensions, and infrastructure is built around extracting Ether safely. Trivia sources also note that the Outer Ring inhabitants refer to New Eridu as the “Inner Ring,” reinforcing its role as society’s heart.
Future Expansion & Community Feedback
HoYoverse’s roadmap hints at unlocking currently inaccessible shops, faction-themed districts, and enhanced vertical traversal to fulfill the developers’ “living city” vision. By leveraging ongoing player feedback, the team aims to introduce new gameplay mechanics tied directly to city spaces rather than only character balance or combat systems.
