Genshin Backlash Cause Devs to Feel Defeated and \"Useless\"

HoYoverse's president, Liu Wei, recently revealed the significant impact of negative player feedback on the Genshin Impact development team. This candid statement sheds light on a challenging year for the game and its creators.

Genshin Impact Developers Overwhelmed by Negative Fan Reaction

Team Committed to Improvement and Player Feedback

(c) SentientBamboo Liu Wei described the "anxiety and confusion" within the Genshin Impact team stemming from intense criticism over the past year. His comments, recorded and translated by SentientBamboo on YouTube, followed a period of escalating player dissatisfaction, particularly after the Lunar New Year 2024 updates.

Wei shared the team's feelings of being profoundly affected by the negative feedback, stating, "Over the past year, both the Genshin team and I experienced a lot of anxiety and confusion...We heard a lot of noise, and some of it was really, really sharp, causing our entire project team to feel really useless."

This statement follows several controversies surrounding recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event, criticized for insufficient rewards (three intertwined fates). Comparisons to other HoYoverse titles, such as Honkai: Star Rail, and Kuro Games' Wuthering Waves, further fueled negative reviews and backlash. Players expressed frustration with the perceived lack of substantial updates and the 4.5 Chronicled Banner's gacha mechanics. Concerns were also raised about the portrayal of characters inspired by real-world cultures.

While visibly emotional, Wei acknowledged these concerns, stating, "Some people felt that our project team was really arrogant...But it’s like [presenter] Aquaria said – we’re actually the same as everyone, we are also gamers. We simply heard too much noise. We needed to calm down and discern the true voices of the Travelers."

Despite the challenges, Wei expressed optimism and reaffirmed the team's dedication to improvement and community engagement. He stated, "I know, even today, we still can't meet everyone's expectations. But...I feel we also received a lot of courage and trust from our Travelers. So from now on...I hope that the entire Genshin team along with all the Genshin players can stop weighing on their pasts and whole-heartedly create the best experience."

In other news, a preview of the upcoming Natlan region was recently released, slated for August 28th.