HoYoverse president Liu Wei has recently shared insights into the emotional impact that harsh fan feedback has had on the Genshin Impact development team over the past year. Delve deeper into his comments and understand the challenges the game has faced during this period.

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

Team Remains Committed to Improving Genshin and Listening to Fans

During his speech, which was recorded and translated by the YouTube channel SentientBamboo, Liu expressed how the intense criticism from fans had deeply affected the team. "Over the past year, both the Genshin team and I experienced significant 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 sharp, causing our entire project team to feel really defeated and 'useless'."

The company president's statements followed a series of controversies surrounding Genshin Impact's recent updates, including the 4.4 Lantern Rite event. Fans were disappointed by the event rewards, particularly with the fact that they received only three intertwined fates for the Lantern Rite event, which they viewed as inadequate and mediocre.

Many players expressed frustration over the perceived lack of exciting and sufficient updates compared to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail, leading to a flood of negative reviews and backlash. Additionally, Kuro Games' latest RPG title, Wuthering Waves, has also been a point of comparison among fans, with criticisms focusing on the differences in gameplay and character movement options between the two games.

The player base's frustrations intensified with Genshin's 4.5 Chronicled Banner, which featured gacha mechanics that many fans found unfavorable compared to the game's more traditional Event Banners. The overall direction of the game also drew criticism, particularly from groups of players who felt that characters inspired by real-life cultures were being "whitewashed" or misrepresented.

Wei appeared visibly emotional during his address, yet he still took the time to acknowledge these concerns. "Some people felt that our project team was really arrogant, saying that they don’t listen to anything," he said. "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 expressed hope for the game's future and its fans, promising that the team remains committed to improving the game and listening to its player community. "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."