HoYoverse CEO Liu Wei recently revealed the significant impact of harsh 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 Feedback

According to a translated recording of his speech by SentientBamboo on YouTube, Liu described the impact of the negative feedback: "Over the past year, both the Genshin team and I experienced significant anxiety and confusion. We went through some very difficult times. The intense criticism, some incredibly harsh, made the entire team feel utterly useless."

This statement followed a series of controversies surrounding recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event. The meager event rewards – just three intertwined fates – were widely criticized as inadequate.

Many players voiced frustration over the perceived lack of substantial updates compared to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail, leading to a surge of negative reviews and backlash. Comparisons to Kuro Games' Wuthering Waves, particularly regarding gameplay and character movement, further fueled the discontent.

The 4.5 Chronicled Banner's gacha mechanics also drew criticism, with many finding them less favorable than traditional Event Banners. Concerns were also raised about the portrayal of characters inspired by real-world cultures, with accusations of "whitewashing" and misrepresentation.

While visibly emotional, Wei acknowledged these concerns: "Some felt our team was arrogant and unresponsive. But we're gamers too, we understand these feelings. We were overwhelmed by the volume of criticism and needed time to process and understand the true player sentiment."

Despite the challenges, Liu expressed optimism, reaffirming the team's commitment to improvement and open communication with the player community. "We can't meet every expectation, but the past year, while difficult, also brought us encouragement and trust from our players. Moving forward, I hope the Genshin team and players can leave the past behind and focus on creating the best possible experience."