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

HoYoverse CEO Liu Wei Reveals Genshin Impact Dev Team's Struggles Amidst Fan Backlash

HoYoverse President Liu Wei recently shared the Genshin Impact development team's emotional toll from intense player criticism over the past year. His comments, translated and shared by SentientBamboo on YouTube, highlight a period of significant player dissatisfaction, particularly following the Lunar New Year 2024 updates.

Wei described the team's feelings of "anxiety and confusion," stating the negativity led to feelings of "uselessness." This followed several controversial updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event (criticized for insufficient rewards) and the 4.5 Chronicled Banner (criticized for unfavorable gacha mechanics). Further fueling the backlash were concerns about the portrayal of characters inspired by real-world cultures. Some players felt the developers were unresponsive and arrogant.

Wei acknowledged these criticisms, emphasizing the team's shared gamer identity and the need to filter constructive feedback from overwhelming negativity. Despite the challenges, he expressed optimism for the future, reaffirming the team's commitment to improvement and community engagement. He hopes the team and players can move forward, focusing on creating a better player experience.

The announcement follows the recent preview of the Natlan region, set for release on August 28th. The new region is expected to bring a fresh wave of content and potentially address some player concerns.