Genshin Backlash Leaves Devs Feeling Defeated, "Useless"

HoYoverse president Liu Wei recently shared insights into the emotional toll that harsh fan feedback has had on the Genshin Impact development team over the past year. Here's a deeper look into his comments and the challenges the game has faced.

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

Team Remains Committed to Improving Genshin and Listening to Fans

HoYoverse President Liu Wei recently spoke about the "anxiety and confusion" that the Genshin Impact development team has endured due to intense fan criticism over the last year. At a recent event in Shanghai, Wei reflected on the situation following a tumultuous period marked by growing player dissatisfaction, particularly around the Lunar New Year 2024 and subsequent updates.

In his speech, which was recorded and translated by the YouTube channel SentientBamboo, Liu expressed the profound impact of the criticism on the team. "Over the past year, both the Genshin team and I experienced a lot of anxiety and confusion," he said. "We truly felt like we went through some really hard times. We heard a lot of noise, and some of it was really, really sharp, causing our entire project team to feel really useless."

Liu's statements followed a series of controversies surrounding Genshin Impact’s recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event. Fans were particularly vocal about their disappointment with the event rewards, notably the three intertwined fates, which many viewed as inadequate.

Frustration among players stemmed from perceived lackluster updates compared to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail. This led to a surge of negative reviews and backlash. Additionally, Kuro Games’ Wuthering Waves became a point of comparison, with fans critiquing the differences in gameplay and character movement options between the two games.

The situation escalated with Genshin’s 4.5 Chronicled Banner, which introduced gacha mechanics that many found less favorable than the traditional Event Banners. Furthermore, some players criticized the game's direction, particularly regarding the representation of characters inspired by real-life cultures.

Despite his visible emotion, Liu acknowledged these concerns during his address. "Some people felt that our project team was really arrogant, saying that they don’t listen to anything," he noted. "But it’s like [presenter] Aquaria said – we’re actually the same as everyone, we are also gamers. We all feel things other people feel too. We simply heard too much noise. We needed to calm down and discern the true voices of the Travelers."

Despite the challenges, Liu remains hopeful about the game's future and its community, emphasizing the team's commitment to improvement and responsiveness to player feedback. "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 stop weighing on their pasts and whole-heartedly create the best experience."