Genshin Impact Developers Feeling Defeated Amidst Backlash

HoYoverse president Liu Wei recently discussed the impact of harsh fan feedback on the Genshin Impact development team over the past year. Read on for more about his comments and the game's challenging period.

Genshin Devs Felt Defeated and Useless After Persistent Negative Fan FeedbackTeam Remains Dedicated to Improving Genshin and Engaging with Fans

(c) SentientBamboo

HoYoverse President Liu Wei recently discussed the "anxiety and distress" that strong fan feedback has caused the Genshin Impact development team over the past year. Speaking at a recent Shanghai event, Wei commented on the situation following a turbulent period of increasing player dissatisfaction, especially around Lunar New Year 2024 and later updates.

During his speech, which was recorded and translated by the YouTube channel SentientBamboo, Liu explained how intense fan criticism had profoundly impacted the team. "Over the past year, both the Genshin team and I experienced a great deal of anxiety and distress," he said. "We truly felt like we went through some very difficult times. We heard a lot of criticism, and some of it was extremely harsh, making our entire project team feel inadequate."

The company president's pronouncements followed a string of controversies surrounding Genshin Impact's recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event. Fans were disappointed by the event prizes, especially receiving only three intertwined fates for the Lantern Rite event, which fans deemed insufficient and underwhelming.

Many players voiced their dissatisfaction with the perceived dearth of exciting and ample updates compared to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail, resulting in a surge of negative reviews and criticism. Meanwhile, Kuro Games' latest RPG title, Wuthering Waves, has also been a point of contention among fans, with critiques focusing on the disparity between both games' gameplay and character movement options.

Player frustration intensified with Genshin's 4.5 Chronicled Banner, which featured gacha mechanics that many fans found undesirable compared to the game's more conventional Event Banners. The game's overall trajectory also attracted criticism, particularly from groups of players who felt that characters inspired by real-life cultures were being "whitewashed" or misrepresented.

Wei appeared visibly moved during his address, but still took the time to acknowledge these concerns. "Some people felt that our project team was truly arrogant, saying that they don’t heed any feedback," he said. "But it’s like [presenter] Aquaria said – we’re actually the same as everyone, we are also gamers. We all feel what others feel too. We simply heard too much clamor. We needed to calm down and discern the genuine voices of the Travelers."

Despite the challenges, Liu expressed optimism for the game's future and its fans, promising that the team remains dedicated to improving the game and listening to its player community. "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 much encouragement 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 stop dwelling on their pasts and wholeheartedly create the best experience."

In other related news, a preview teaser for Natlan had just been recently uploaded on the game's official account, unveiling first-looks of the game's new region. Natlan will be released soon, on August 28.