Free-to-play gacha game Genshin Impact faces controversy after an email template circulated by fans alleged the game has racist or otherwise insensitive content. Similar in aesthetic to Breath of the Wild, Genshin Impact features an extensive and growing roster of characters that players can switch between. Players obtain high rarity characters through the use of gacha mechanics, and while it is possible to get some characters without using real-world money, doing so requires a lot of grinding.

Genshin Impact has already had its fair share of controversy since releasing. Players discovered that the game censors mentions of Taiwan and Hong Kong in compliance with Chinese law late last year, as developer miHoYo is based in China and beholden to its legal system. Genshin Impact earned $1 billion in the first six months of release in spite of this controversy, however, making it one of mobile gaming’s biggest apps.

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A thread by Twitter user @kaexiaobf details an email template intended to highlight several controversial issues with the game. The template accuses Genshin Impact of portraying one of its main enemies, the Hilichurls, as villainous while being inspired by stereotypical representations of Native Americans and indigenous people. Other claims include the whitewashing of Genshin Impact characters, the existence of pedophilic NPCs, and withholding content to obtain more money. A video of the Hilichurl in development with what appears to be Native Americans dancing in the background has circulated the thread since the initial posting. The whitewashing claim comes from only two playable characters in the game having dark skin. Xinyan is mentioned explicitly, with players citing her skin tone as being lighter in-game than on her banner.

Claims that some NPCs in the game are pedophiles come from one adult character stating they wish to marry Flora, a young girl who is a merchant in the game. Another NPC says they are the fan club leader of another character who also appears underaged. While less serious in nature, fans also discussed gacha rates and other qualms they had with the game, indicating a swell of issues within the Genshin Impact community.

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Typically, Genshin Impact has skirted around controversy without much issue, but this trend indicates there are some elements of the game that need addressing. It will be interesting to see if miHoYo responds to the allegations or ignores them altogether. Fan sentiment is important to the success of a game, and the seriousness of these claims should at least merit some discussion about what’s included in the title.

Genshin Impact is available for download on PC, PS4, PS5, iOS, and Android.

Source: kaexiaobf/Twitter, venluvr/Twitter, ch6lde/Twitter

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