While hit open-world gacha game Genshin Impact is celebrating its first anniversary, the event has sparked anger in the fanbase due to what many are calling “stingy” rewards.
Leading up to the one-year anniversary of Genshin Impact, developer miHoYo confirmed that players who logged into the game would receive a bundle of in-game items and currency. Beyond this, the celebration also encompasses a series of web-events that challenge users to create various forms of fan art. For the last few weeks, players have complained about many of the anniversary rewards being limited to gacha odds; One such bonus rewarded 90% of players with 100,000 Mora, what many consider an unjustifiably small amount, while the remaining 10% get Blessing of the Welkin Moon. On the actual day of the anniversary, fans took to social media to air their grievances, as miHoYo failed to announce any significant improvements to its rewards.
happy 1 year anniversary genshin impact!
maybe the true anniversary rewards were the shitty artifacts we got along the way
— genshin struggles @ copium OD (@genshnstruggles) September 28, 2021
Genshin’s energy towards its anniversary reminds me of my own energy towards my birthdays
— nevercrymeow 🌙 (@nevercrymoon) September 28, 2021
Many players took an issue with miHoYo’s approach to the anniversary. Released in 2020, Genshin Impact has earned well over a billion dollars USD in revenue, pushed along by a dedicated fanbase and its gacha mechanics driving many players to the offered microtransactions. Many fans see miHoYo’s anniversary celebration as an insult given how much time and money they’ve spent on the game. Others have pointed out that the web-event celebrations seemingly function as free-marketing for the developer given the relatively low-stakes prizes available for contestants.
Many disgruntled Genshin Impact plays began reviewing bombing the game on its various storefronts as a means of protest. The game, which previously maintained a solid rating of 4.5 stars on Google Play, which sharply dropped to 2 stars following the announcement of the anniversary rewards.
#HearUsMiHoyo Please, I know one more message is worthless, but consider taking on mind what the community suggests, and at least talk about it, COMMUNICATE, don’t just post “Happy Anniversary, we hope you to keep enjoying Genshin”, no, like this we won’t. pic.twitter.com/5Q6ZNMP6w2
— ✧|Haru.*🎋 (@elharx) September 28, 2021
Every Gacha: “Happy Anniversary!! Have 100 free pulls also extra energy, a handful of rerun banners with a 2x rarity rate”
Genshin Impact: Have 1/3 of a pull and a 1/30,000,000 chance to win an iphone. Never ask us for anything ever again. pic.twitter.com/6ABNfHvjoU
— Sabuuchi 11.0+1.0 You Will (Not) Texas (@Sabuuchi) September 20, 2021
Gacha is a genre of video game that relies on players unlocking items through randomized elements, similar to loot boxes. They often require resource grinding and microtransactions, alongside a slew of unlockable content that can only be earned via lucky “pulls.” Many gacha games, like Fire Emblem Heroes and Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, treat anniversaries as a significant event, granting players bountiful rewards in an effort to thank them for their contributions.
For new players wanting to see how bad the anniversary rewards are in person, you can find Genshin Impact on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile devices.
Source: Twitter
About The Author
