Why is Genshin Impact getting review-bombed? Whole controversy explained

What is driving the controversy and drama in the Chinese player community?

Why is Genshin Impact getting review-bombed? Whole controversy explained

Image via: HoYoverse

Genshin Impact is an immersive open-world action RPG developed by MiHoYo. It is set in the vast and visually stunning fantasy world of Teyvat. Players embark on a journey as a mysterious traveller, searching for their lost sibling and uncovering Teyvat’s secrets.

Focusing on exploration, character collection, and elemental combat, the game offers a rich and engaging experience that has captivated millions worldwide.

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Fans love the game thanks to its availability on nearly every platform, including mobile. It is also famous for its cute and charming characters. However, Genshin Impact has recently been in the news for several negative reasons. The game has been flooded with many negative reviews on video gaming review sites and social media.

Genshin Impact is especially facing these issues on Chinese social media. The game developers, HoYoverse, and the game’s official social media accounts have lost quite a few followers on Douyin (ChineseTiktok) and BiliBili (Chinese YouTube) over the past few days.

While the international audience is not revolting against the game as much, the Asian market is intensely heated up about Genshin Impact’s in-game rewards.

The situation started with Genshin Impact’s upcoming 4.4 update and the Lantern Rite 2024 update. The Lantern Rite Festival is a five-day event in Genshin Impact. It takes place on the first full moon of the year.

Genshin Impact receives massive backlash for the latest event

Players are distraught by the lack of in-game rewards accompanied by the Genshin Impact Lantern Rites event. The situation worsens because Genshin’s sister game, Honkai Star Rail, receives a five-star character for free.

Genshin Impact Negative Review
Image via: HoYoverse

Due to these reasons, players have declared a strike against the game. They refuse to play it and do not follow all social media accounts.

As of the 4.4 update live stream, the social media accounts of Genshim Impact have lost over a million followers on their accounts, roughly 10% of their initial follower count.

People are also giving the game 1-star reviews on Bilibili. Major franchises like KFC, Pizza Hut, and HeyTea, which have previously collaborated with Genshin, are also targeted. HoYoverse has yet to comment on the controversy.

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