miHoYo launches AI companion app BSide: Olivia Lin on Steam Early Access

On Monday, Chinese gaming firm miHoYo launched Early Access for its AI companion app, BSide: Olivia Lin, on Steam. Unlike the studio’s anime-style games, the new release is listed as a Free to Play Utility rather than a game, marking miHoYo’s latest effort to expand beyond interactive entertainment and into AI-powered digital companionship. At the heart of the app is Olivia Lin, a virtual character designed as a Shanghai student majoring in piano with a minor in psychology.