HoYoverse CEO Liu Wei recently shared the impact of intense player feedback on the Genshin Impact development team. His comments shed light on a challenging year for the game and its creators.
Genshin Impact Developers Overwhelmed by Negative Fan Response
Team Remains Dedicated to Improvement and Player Communication
(c) SentientBamboo At a Shanghai event, Liu Wei described the "anxiety and confusion" within the Genshin Impact team stemming from negative player feedback over the past year. This period, particularly around Lunar New Year 2024 and subsequent updates, saw a surge in player dissatisfaction.According to a recording and translation by SentientBamboo on YouTube, Liu detailed the team's emotional response to the criticism: "The past year brought significant anxiety and confusion to both the Genshin team and myself. We faced incredibly difficult times. The intense criticism, some of it extremely harsh, left the entire team feeling useless."
This statement follows several controversies surrounding recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event. The event's rewards, notably only three intertwined fates, were widely criticized as insufficient.
Many players expressed frustration with the perceived lack of substantial updates compared to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail, leading to negative reviews and backlash. Comparisons with Kuro Games' Wuthering Waves, particularly regarding gameplay and character movement, also fueled criticism.
Further discontent arose from the 4.5 Chronicled Banner's gacha mechanics, viewed unfavorably compared to traditional Event Banners. Concerns were also raised about the portrayal of characters inspired by real-world cultures, with accusations of "whitewashing" or misrepresentation.
While visibly emotional, Liu acknowledged these concerns: "Some felt our team was arrogant and unresponsive. But we are gamers too, and we understand these feelings. The volume of criticism was overwhelming; we needed to calm down and filter out the constructive feedback."
Despite the difficulties, Liu expressed optimism for the future, emphasizing the team's commitment to improvement and player communication. "We can't meet every expectation, but the past year, while challenging, also brought courage and trust from our players. Moving forward, let's focus on creating the best possible experience."
In other news, a preview for the Natlan region was recently released, with its launch scheduled for August 28th.
