BSide: Olivia Lin

BSide: Olivia Lin is a free Windows desktop application developed and published by miHoYo. It entered Early Access on Steam on July 13, 2026, under App ID 4532590. SteamDB records the title as an Application in the Utilities genre. The software centers on the fictional virtual character Lin Li (Chinese: 林离; English name: Olivia Lin) and combines piano listening, MIDI-based video creation, letter exchanges, and a live desktop wallpaper.^{[1][2][3][10]} At the research cutoff, Steam listed only Simplified Chinese support, SteamDB labeled its free package "Only CN," and PC Gamer reported that it was available only in China.^[1][3][4][5]

Character and premise

The official profile presents Olivia as a Shanghai student who majors in piano and minors in psychology. She likes vinyl records, old films, and rainy days. Within the product's fiction, she is conducting a personal study of music and memory.^[1][9][10]

The character appeared online before the software's Steam release. The Bilibili account linked from the Steam listing published the piano video 卡农 | 一个人的练习 on August 28, 2025.^[1][7] It published 读信 / 回信 / 弹琴, a video built around reading and answering letters, on March 27, 2026.^[8] IT Home reported the same account chronology when the Steam store page opened.^[6]

Features

The Early Access build has four main functions described by miHoYo on Steam.^[1]

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Steam's generative AI content disclosure is explicitly about text generation. It says the application can generate or assist with letter text, creative suggestions, and music-related explanations when a user actively invokes the relevant function.^[1] Inven Global also reported before release that some text, including letters and music-related explanations, uses AI generation.^[9] Neither source says that AI performs the MIDI-to-video conversion, and the official disclosure names no specific AI model or provider.^[1][9]

The Early Access questionnaire presents possible additions rather than committed release features. It lists more timbres and performance styles, smarter MIDI editing and processing, and additional letter templates. miHoYo estimated that Early Access would continue through the end of 2026, while noting that the schedule could change. It also said that the basic experience was intended to remain free after Early Access.^[1]

Release and updates

The product's Steam store page became public on June 18, 2026, while its release date was still unannounced.^[6] Steam's official metadata and SteamDB record the Early Access release on July 13, 2026, and TechNode reported the launch the following day.^{[1][2][3][10]}

The first three official Steam announcements documented these changes:

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Platform and requirements

The Steam listing gives the following minimum requirements: Windows 10 1809 (64-bit), a four-core Intel or AMD processor with SSE 4.2 support, 4 GB of RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4000 or better, DirectX 11, and 6 GB of storage. It says that downloading the full music library may require about 100 GB. The listing also requires a miHoYo account, with Steam account linking supported.^[1][2]

Development and classification

Steam credits miHoYo as both developer and publisher.^[1][2] IT Home attributed development to Shanghai miHoYo Daohaisangtian Technology Co., Ltd. Jiemian, citing corporate registry data, reported that this company was established on September 11, 2025, with registered capital of RMB 10 million and was wholly owned by Shanghai miHoYo Network Technology Co., Ltd.^[6][14]

PC Gamer described the product as an AI companion, while Inven Global described it as an application combining music listening with an interactive character experience. SteamDB classifies it as an Application under Utilities.^[3][5][9]

References

1. ^Valve, "BSide: Olivia Lin," Steam store page, App ID 4532590. store.steampowered.com/...BSide_Olivia_Lin
2. ^Valve, "Steam Store API: appdetails for App ID 4532590," China region, Simplified Chinese. store.steampowered.com/...appdetails
3. ^SteamDB, "BSide: Olivia Lin," App ID 4532590. steamdb.info/...info
4. ^SteamDB, "BSide: Olivia Lin Packages," App ID 4532590. steamdb.info/...subs
5. ^Rory Norris, "Genshin Impact creator miHoYo has released an AI companion on Steam," *PC Gamer*, June 23, 2026. pcgamer.com/...ed-to-never-obtain-her-piano-degree
6. ^IT Home, "米哈游 AI 女友陪伴软件 '林离 Olivia' 上架 Steam," June 19, 2026. ithome.com/...284
7. ^林离Olivia, "卡农 | 一个人的练习," Bilibili, August 28, 2025. bilibili.com/...BV1cHeRz4EA6
8. ^林离Olivia, "读信 / 回信 / 弹琴," Bilibili, March 27, 2026. bilibili.com/...BV11BXnBaEKR
9. ^Seungjin Kang, "miHoYo Moves Beyond Gacha RPGs with AI-Driven 'BSide: Olivia Lin'," *Inven Global*, June 19, 2026. invenglobal.com/...with-ai-driven-bside-olivia-lin
10. ^Jessie Wu, "miHoYo launches AI companion app BSide: Olivia Lin on Steam Early Access," *TechNode*, July 14, 2026. technode.com/...nion-app-bside-olivia-lin-on-steam
11. ^miHoYo, "BSide: Olivia Lin 更新公告 2026.07.15," Steam Community announcement, July 15, 2026. steamcommunity.com/...1838407329254235
12. ^miHoYo, "BSide: Olivia Lin 更新公告 2026.07.17," Steam Community announcement, July 17, 2026. steamcommunity.com/...1838407329258362
13. ^miHoYo, "BSide: Olivia Lin 更新公告 2026.07.28," Steam Community announcement, July 28, 2026. steamcommunity.com/...1839041357037320
14. ^Jiemian News, "米哈游同日成立两家新公司," September 11, 2025. jiemian.com/...13333921