Genshin Backlash Leaves Devs Feeling Defeated, "Useless"

HoYoverse president Liu Wei has recently shared the emotional impact of harsh fan feedback on the Genshin Impact development team over the past year. Delve deeper into his comments and the challenging period the game has navigated.

Genshin Devs Felt Defeated and Useless Following Continuous Negative Feedback from Fans

Team Remains Committed to Improving Genshin and Listening to Fans

(c) SentientBamboo HoYoverse President Liu Wei recently shared insights into the "anxiety and confusion" experienced by the Genshin Impact development team due to harsh fan feedback over the past year. Speaking at an event in Shanghai, Wei reflected on the situation following a turbulent period of increasing dissatisfaction among the player base, notably around the Lunar New Year 2024 and subsequent updates.

In his speech, which was recorded and translated by the YouTube channel SentientBamboo, Liu detailed how the intense criticism from fans had deeply affected the team. "Over the past year, both the Genshin team and I experienced significant anxiety and confusion," he said. "We truly felt we went through some really tough times. We were bombarded with a lot of noise, some of which was extremely sharp, leading our entire project team to feel utterly useless."

The president's remarks followed a series of controversies surrounding Genshin Impact’s recent updates, such as the 4.4 Lantern Rite event. Fans expressed disappointment over the event rewards, particularly the meager three intertwined fates, which many viewed as inadequate.

Players voiced frustration over what they perceived as a lack of exciting and sufficient updates, especially when compared to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail. This led to a surge of negative reviews and backlash. Additionally, Kuro Games’ latest RPG, Wuthering Waves, became a point of comparison, with fans critiquing the differences in gameplay and character movement between the two games.

The frustration peaked with the 4.5 Chronicled Banner, featuring gacha mechanics that many fans found less favorable than the game’s traditional Event Banners. Criticism also extended to the game's direction, with some players feeling that characters inspired by real-life cultures were being "whitewashed" or misrepresented.

Despite appearing visibly emotional, Wei took the opportunity to acknowledge these concerns. "Some people felt that our project team was really arrogant, saying that they don’t listen to anything," he said. "But as [presenter] Aquaria pointed out – we’re gamers just like everyone else. We feel the same emotions. We were overwhelmed by the noise and needed to calm down to discern the true voices of our Travelers."

Despite the challenges, Liu expressed optimism about the game's future and its community, reaffirming the team's commitment to improving the game and listening to its players. "I know, even today, we still can't meet everyone's expectations. But after the anxiety and confusion the team and I experienced over the past year, I feel we also received a lot of courage and trust from our Travelers. So from now on, after I leave the stage, I hope that the entire Genshin team along with all the Genshin players can move forward, leaving the past behind, and whole-heartedly create the best experience."

In other related news, a preview teaser for Natlan was recently uploaded on the game's official account, offering first looks at the new region. Natlan is set to be released on August 28.