Staff at Genshin Impact developer miHoYo were in tears over the negative reaction to the game’s release when many accused the game of being a clone of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
according to reports CBRAt the Genshin Impact FES event, miHoYo president Lie Wei said the team was deeply affected by the early criticism and accusations of copying. A Breath of the Wild fan attended a Genshin Impact showcase to protest the PlayStation RPG, and one of his attendees even smashed his PS4 in front of the booth.
Wei didn’t specifically mention Breath of the Wild, but with a chuckle he did mention an “unprecedented crisis.” His speech was shared on his Twitter by @tokinohikaru_00 (below).
[for every traveller]
Genshin Impact FES 2023 in Shanghai (English Version)
MiHoYo president Daiwei is deeply moved and talks about his thoughts on Genshin Impact
I feel like crying when I see it 😭・It was a tough time, but I think I’ve made it this far… pic.twitter.com/4H2YLWSaIp
— Tokinohikaru (@tokinohikaru_00) August 13, 2023
“Issuing, [closed beta] I was pretty proud of myself [the closed beta’s] The reaction was as if it was different from what we expected, completely different,” Wei said.
“When we did [the closed beta] We are facing an unprecedented crisis.everyone just watched the video [the closed beta and said]: “I don’t really understand what Genshin is trying to do.” So at that time [in] Our team, everyone was really worried.
“I remember many young colleagues crying and saying to me, ‘Why did this happen? What did we do wrong?’ We thought and acted.”
Wei explained that he and the team used criticism as motivation to prove themselves and managed to gain round fans as time went on and more Genshin Impact was revealed.
With its action-RPG gameplay and anime-inspired open-world setting, Genshin Impact has attracted millions of fans, making it one of the largest live service games available. Microsoft reportedly missed the chance to make Genshin Impact his own Xbox game, and now regrets it.
The game has also seen a ton of updates adding new characters, quests, items, and more since its original launch, and has seen crossovers with other franchises, including Horizon: Zero Dawn.
In a review dated September 10, IGN said, “An incredible open world and highly addictive exploration make Genshin Impact an animated adventure.”
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He will talk about witchers all day long.