HoYoverse President Liu Wei has recently shared insights into the profound impact that harsh fan feedback has had on the Genshin Impact development team over the past year. Dive into his candid reflections and the challenging times the game has faced.

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

Team Remains Committed to Improving Genshin and Listening to Fans

In his speech, which was captured and translated by the YouTube channel SentientBamboo, Liu shared the emotional toll the criticism has taken. "Over the past year, both the Genshin team and I experienced a lot of anxiety and confusion," he stated. "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 useless."

Liu's comments come in the wake of several controversies surrounding Genshin Impact’s recent updates, notably the 4.4 Lantern Rite event. The community expressed disappointment over the event rewards, particularly the meager three intertwined fates offered, which were seen as insufficient and underwhelming.

The frustration among players has been compounded by comparisons to other HoYoverse titles like Honkai: Star Rail, which many feel offer more exciting and substantial updates. Additionally, Kuro Games’ latest RPG, Wuthering Waves, has become a point of comparison, with fans critiquing the differences in gameplay and character movement between the two games.

Tensions further escalated with the introduction of the 4.5 Chronicled Banner, which introduced gacha mechanics that many found less favorable compared to traditional Event Banners. Moreover, the game’s direction has faced scrutiny, with some players feeling that characters inspired by real-life cultures are being "whitewashed" or misrepresented.

Despite appearing visibly emotional, Liu took the opportunity to acknowledge the community's concerns. "Some people felt that our project team was really arrogant, saying that they don’t listen to anything," he noted. "But as Aquaria mentioned – we’re gamers too. We feel the same emotions as everyone else. We just heard too much noise. We needed to calm down and discern the true voices of the Travelers."

Despite the challenges, Liu remains hopeful about the game's future and its relationship with fans, reaffirming the team's commitment to enhancing the game and engaging with the 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 let go of the past and wholeheartedly create the best experience."