Do they need to beat Genshin though? I think they'd be happy just making a ton of money. If they can copy Genshin but actually have a decent story without so much wasted dialogue it could work. I'll wait a bit before giving it a shot.
It's not realistic to compete with Genshin from the get-go. less so if the game feels that similar without clear advantages/improvements. IMO they should have done their own thing. Their other game, PGR, has great combat and the overall tone is more serious / darker, it's not the Genshin audience they should be pursuing. Ways they could compete with Mihoyo doing something more differentiated:
- More cryptic story, no text walls.
- Only one main character with an unique story. Enough with these mute MCs.
- More focus on combat-skills and affinity with creatures.
- Rethink dailies. The least similar to Genshin, the better.
- Remove 50/50 bullshit
Just a few ideas. They should have come up with these and more.