Genshin Impact has made a name for itself by blending an open world into a live service gacha game with the intention of portraying a grand journey across the world. Genshin Impact periodically unveils new nations to explore, along with characters native to these nations for players to pull. While these updates should typically be strictly good news, the reveal of the Natlan region comes with a major caveat.
Genshin Impact has been boycotted in the past for one crucial aspect of its character design, and the characters revealed within Natlan so far suggest that this criticism is still being overlooked. Despite the intention of taking players on an international adventure through a variety of regions, Genshin Impact still features almost zero people of color within its roster of more than eighty characters.
Genshin Impact Officially Reveals Pyro Archon and More Natlan Characters
Genshin Impact's new Ignition teaser showcases several new characters and the region of Natlan in the midst of a fierce competition.
Genshin Impact Needs to Improve the Diversity of its Characters
Genshin Impact's Diversity Should Be Essential
Natlan will be the sixth major nation added to Genshin Impact, and presumably one of the last considering what has been revealed so far about the game's lore. Each nation in the game is purposefully inspired by regions from around the world, and the rich cultures that inhabit them. This makes diversity an inherently essential aspect of the journey players embark on throughout the game.
Nearly every character in Genshin Impact is meant to reflect the cultures of real people, and one cannot stress deeply enough the importance of representing these cultures authentically. Of course, it is always important to show respect to the cultures of others regardless, but Genshin Impact bears another responsibility on top of this.
Not only is the game so heavily focused on its international setting, but the massive popularity of Genshin Impact means its audience is international as well. People play Genshin Impact around the globe, and many of these people share heritage with the cultures that Genshin Impact intends to portray. When players cannot see themselves in characters meant to represent them, it could harm the experience of many and make the other efforts of the game appear inauthentic.
Genshin Impact's Characters Don't Always Reflect their Cultures
Natlan draws from a few major sources of inspiration. While all details have not been revealed yet, the largest influence on the culture of Natlan seems to come from Latin American and Polynesian cultures, with a few regions that also seem to be inspired by African cultures. Blending unrelated cultures into a homogeneous setting could already be considered problematic, but the issue with character design remains front and center.
Simply put, the cast of Genshin Impact almost exclusively features characters with light skin tones. This would be noticeable in most games, given the lack of diversity despite the game's sizable cast. However, this issue is made all the more prominent precisely because Genshin Impact claims to represent a diverse number of cultures.
Genshin Impact's reveal of Natlan characters has made this more apparent than ever. Only one character is portrayed as non-white, while the rest simply do not reflect the diversity of the cultures they are representing. Even the Archon of Natlan, the God of the region, is one of the most pale characters in the game. Likewise, even the outfits characters are wearing are very inconsistent with their inspirations.
Natlan is Not the First Time Genshin Impact's Character Design has Fallen Short
Genshin Impact's Character Design has Received Criticism Before
Natlan's handling of diversity would already be a large enough issue in a vacuum. However, this is anything but the first time this controversy has surrounded Genshin Impact. Sumeru is one of the game's previous regions, and it is mainly inspired by nations in the Middle East and Africa. Upon its reveal, Sumeru's roster received the exact same backlash for the exact same reason.
Many of the characters in Sumeru have Arabic names, but only an incredibly small handful of playable characters had skin tones more tan than the vast majority of the cast. Similarly to Natlan, even the Archon of the region did not have black or brown skin. Sumeru has taken meaningful inspiration in aspects such as its architecture and music, but this does not erase or excuse the colorism evident within its character design.
Many hoped that HoYoverse would take this criticism in stride, and learn from fan reactions towards Sumeru. However, seeing as Natlan faces a similar issue with its character designs, many feel that their previous words have not been heard. This has caused the conversation to spark up all over again, with many wondering if even the backlash now will be enough to change minds.
Genshin Impact's Future Should Not Reflect its Past
Diversity is anything but binary. The options for character design are endless, and even games that feature a more diverse roster sometimes fail to capture the beautiful array of people around the world. The issue of colorism is a delicate and important topic, and the issues present in the character design of Genshin Impact are also apparent in many other mediums. However, the value of diversity is too important to overlook.
Some may argue that standards are different where HoYoverse is located. However, cultural norms have not yet stopped games like Genshin Impact from making advancements in other kinds of representation. Titles such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail have frequently featured characters implied to be LGBT, which shows that the game is more than capable of achieving this ideal.
Genshin Impact features a variety of nations, so it should appropriately reflect the variety of people that exist within those nations. This should be a straightforward principle, but it is unfortunately one that continues to be overlooked. Natlan and Sumeru both faced criticism over the lack of diversity in their character designs, and the pattern this has created is even more concerning than any single incident.
However, Genshin Impact will receive more updates in the future, each with its own new cast of characters. There are plenty of ways for Genshin Impact to address this ongoing criticism. More importantly, diversity should have already been a key priority for a game that represents the different people around the globe. With that in mind, it is more than understandable for patience to begin wearing thin.
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Step into Teyvat, a vast world teeming with life and flowing with elemental energy.
You and your sibling arrived here from another world. Separated by an unknown god, stripped of your powers, and cast into a deep slumber, you now awake to a world very different from when you first arrived.
Thus begins your journey across Teyvat to seek answers from The Seven — the gods of each element. Along the way, prepare to explore every inch of this wondrous world, join forces with a diverse range of characters, and unravel the countless mysteries that Teyvat holds...
MASSIVE OPEN WORLD
Climb any mountain, swim across any river, and glide over the world below, taking in the jaw-dropping scenery each step of the way. And if you stop to investigate a wandering Seelie or strange mechanism, who knows what you might discover?
ELEMENTAL COMBAT SYSTEM
Harness the seven elements to unleash elemental reactions. Anemo, Electro, Hydro, Pyro, Cryo, Dendro, and Geo interact in all sorts of ways, and Vision wielders have the power to turn this to their advantage.
Will you vaporize Hydro with Pyro, electro-charge it with Electro, or freeze it with Cryo? Your mastery of the elements will give you the upper hand in battle and exploration.
BEAUTIFUL VISUALS
Feast your eyes on the world around you, with a stunning art style, real-time rendering, and finely tuned character animations delivering you a truly immersive visual experience. Lighting and weather all change naturally over time, bringing every detail of this world to life.
SOOTHING SOUNDTRACK
Let the beautiful sounds of Teyvat draw you in as you explore the expansive world around you. Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the soundtrack changes seamlessly with the time and gameplay to match the mood.
BUILD YOUR DREAM TEAM
Team up with a diverse cast of characters in Teyvat, each with their own unique personalities, stories, and abilities. Discover your favorite party combinations and level up your characters to help you conquer even the most daunting of enemies and domains.
JOURNEY WITH FRIENDS
Team up with friends across various platforms to trigger more elemental action, tackle tricky boss fights, and conquer challenging domains together to reap rich rewards.
As you stand atop the peaks of Jueyun Karst and take in the rolling clouds and vast terrain stretching out before you, you may wish to stay in Teyvat a little longer... But until you are reunited with your lost sibling, how can you rest? Go forth, Traveler, and begin your adventure!
- ESRB
- Teen / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- Metascore
- 86
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- Mobile, PC, PS4 & PS5
