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

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 Committed to Improvement and Player Communication

(c) SentientBamboo In a recent Shanghai event, Liu Wei candidly addressed the "anxiety and confusion" stemming from intense criticism of Genshin Impact, particularly following the Lunar New Year 2024 updates. The YouTube channel SentientBamboo captured and translated his speech, revealing the profound effect of negative feedback on the development team. Wei described the period as incredibly difficult, stating that the overwhelming negativity made the team feel "useless."

This follows a series of controversies surrounding recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event, criticized for its meager rewards. Comparisons to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail, and even Kuro Games' Wuthering Waves, fueled player dissatisfaction, resulting in negative reviews and significant backlash. The 4.5 Chronicled Banner's gacha mechanics and concerns over the portrayal of real-world cultures further intensified the criticism.

While visibly emotional, Wei acknowledged the concerns, addressing accusations of developer arrogance. He emphasized the team's shared gamer identity and the need to filter out excessive noise to understand genuine player feedback.

Despite the challenges, Liu expressed optimism and reaffirmed the team's dedication to improvement and open communication with the player community. He acknowledged that meeting every expectation is impossible, but the team draws strength from the continued support of its players. He hopes for a future of collaborative development, moving past past negativity.

In other news, a recent preview for the upcoming Natlan region (releasing August 28th) has been shared on the game's official channels.