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

HoYoverse's president, Liu Wei, recently revealed the significant impact of harsh 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 Team Overwhelmed by Negative Feedback

Dedication to Improvement and Community Engagement Remains

(c) SentientBamboo In a recent Shanghai event, Liu Wei addressed the "anxiety and confusion" stemming from intense player criticism, particularly following the Lunar New Year 2024 updates. His remarks, recorded and translated by SentientBamboo on YouTube, highlighted the team's emotional toll: "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 a series of controversies surrounding recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event's underwhelming rewards (three intertwined fates). Comparisons to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail, and even Kuro Games' Wuthering Waves, fueled negative reviews and widespread backlash. Further fueling the discontent was the 4.5 Chronicled Banner's gacha mechanics and concerns about the cultural representation of certain characters.

While visibly emotional, Wei acknowledged player 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." He emphasized the team's commitment to improving the game and actively listening to player feedback. "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 for the Natlan region was recently released, with its official launch slated for August 28th.