Mihoyo, creators of Genshin Impact, just launched Olivia - an AI companion who lives on your desktop, plays piano while you work, & exchanges letters with you. 100k downloads on day 1
The brilliant part is the GTM. Olivia debuted on Bilibili last summer as a virtual pianist, spent months building a fanbase and answering fan letters - all before shipping as a companion
She launched with a built-in audience - hundreds of thousands follow her as a Shanghai university student majoring in piano (with a minor in psych), who loves old movies and rainy days
Character-first AI with distinct personality, recognizable IP, and world building beats faceless agents - this is the way