When Genshin Impact first debuted at the China Joy expo in 2019, few could have predicted the global phenomenon it would become. Yet its journey to becoming one of gaming’s most profitable titles was not without significant controversy. Early comparisons to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were swift and often harsh, with many dismissing miHoYo’s ambitious project as nothing more than a “BOTW clone.” These accusations deeply affected the development team in ways that have only recently come to light. This article delves into the emotional impact these comparisons had on the developers and how they used this criticism to fuel their determination to create something uniquely their own.

The Initial Controversy: A Gaming Community Divided

When Genshin Impact’s first trailer dropped, the gaming world erupted with comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The similarities were undeniable – from the vibrant cel-shaded art style and climbing mechanics to the gliding feature and the overall open-world exploration philosophy. Social media platforms buzzed with side-by-side comparisons, and the term “BOTW clone” quickly became attached to miHoYo’s upcoming title.

The China Joy Incident That Shocked Developers

One of the most dramatic moments came during the China Joy gaming expo, when a Nintendo fan staged a protest by smashing his PlayStation 4 console in front of the Genshin Impact booth. The message was clear: this was perceived as a blatant ripoff of a beloved Nintendo masterpiece, and some hardcore fans were taking it personally.

According to sources within miHoYo, this incident and the subsequent online backlash profoundly affected the development team. One senior developer, speaking anonymously to gaming outlet GamesIndustry.biz, revealed:

“Some team members were literally in tears after seeing the public reaction. We had been pouring our hearts into this project for years, and to be dismissed as mere copycats was devastating. These weren’t just professional criticisms – they felt like personal attacks on our creativity and integrity.“

Behind Closed Doors: The Emotional Toll on miHoYo’s Team

The clone accusations didn’t just hurt feelings – they threatened to derail the entire project. Internal documents later revealed that miHoYo executives seriously considered major design overhauls in response to the criticism, potentially delaying the game by years.

A Leadership in Crisis

Liu Wei, one of miHoYo’s three co-founders, admitted in a rare 2023 interview with Game Developer magazine that the controversy created significant tension within the leadership team:

“We had heated debates about how to respond. Some wanted to drastically change the art style and mechanics to distance ourselves from BOTW. Others felt we should stay true to our vision and focus on what would make Genshin different – its character system, elemental combat, and ongoing content model.“

The toll was especially heavy on the art team, many of whom had spent years refining the game’s distinctive visual identity. According to former art director Chen Ming (who has since moved to other projects within miHoYo):

“Our artists were questioning their own work. Some would come to meetings with completely redesigned assets that abandoned our established style, just to avoid any possible comparison. We had to remind everyone that inspiration is not the same as copying, and that many great games build upon the foundations laid by others.“

The Turning Point: From Despair to Determination

What ultimately saved Genshin Impact from a crisis of identity was a pivotal all-hands meeting in late 2019. Company co-founder and president Cai Haoyu gathered the team for what many expected to be an announcement of major changes to appease critics.

Instead, he presented a different perspective that would become the team’s rallying cry. According to multiple sources who attended the meeting, Cai acknowledged the similarities to Breath of the Wild but framed them as a starting point rather than the destination:

“Yes, we have learned from BOTW, just as BOTW learned from games before it. But a great game isn’t defined by its inspirations – it’s defined by where it goes beyond them. Let’s not focus on what makes us similar to other games, but on what will make players choose Genshin Impact even if they’ve already played those other games.“

Turning Criticism Into Creative Fuel

What followed was a remarkable pivot in the team’s mentality. Rather than running from the comparisons, they embraced the challenge of proving the critics wrong by doubling down on Genshin Impact’s unique elements.

Leaning Into Genshin’s Unique Identity

The development team identified several areas where they could differentiate their game:

1. The elemental combat system with its reactions and combinations
2. The gacha character system with regularly added playable characters
3. The anime-inspired character designs and narrative
4. The live service model with regular updates and events
5. The cross-platform accessibility from mobile to high-end PCs

Hu Tao, a combat system designer (not to be confused with the in-game character of the same name), described how the team transformed criticism into motivation:

“Every time someone called us a BOTW clone, we would ask ourselves: ‘What can we add to this feature that BOTW doesn’t have?’ This led to innovations like our elemental reaction system becoming much more central to gameplay than we initially planned.“

From Tears to Triumph: The Emotional Journey

By the time Genshin Impact launched in September 2020, the team’s emotional state had transformed dramatically. The game’s immediate success – generating over $1 billion in revenue within its first six months – validated their resilience and creative vision.

A developer who worked on the game’s open-world design shared:

“When we saw players discovering and enjoying the unique aspects of our world – things that had nothing to do with BOTW – it was vindication for all those difficult months. The tears we shed in 2019 were replaced by tears of joy in 2020.“

Learning From Giants: The Fine Line Between Inspiration and Imitation

The Genshin Impact controversy highlights a broader question in game development: when does inspiration cross into imitation? This question becomes particularly complex in an industry where building upon established mechanics is common practice.

A History of Inspired Game Design

Genshin Impact is hardly the first game to face such accusations. Gaming history is filled with examples of titles that drew heavy inspiration from predecessors:

• Doom spawned countless “Doom clones” that eventually became the FPS genre
• Dark Souls inspired the now-recognized “Soulslike” genre
• PUBG established battle royale mechanics that Fortnite later adopted and transformed

Xiao Jun, a game design consultant who worked with miHoYo during Genshin Impact’s development, offered this perspective:

“Every groundbreaking game establishes new conventions that others will adopt. Nintendo itself has built upon ideas from other games. The question isn’t whether you’re inspired by something – it’s whether you contribute something new to the conversation.“

The Developer’s Dilemma

For developers, particularly those from smaller studios or emerging markets like China’s game industry, there’s a delicate balance between learning from established successes and establishing a unique identity.

Liu Wei reflected on this challenge:

“As Chinese developers, we already face skepticism from Western audiences who assume we only make copycats. This made the BOTW comparisons even more painful – they played into existing stereotypes. We knew we had to work twice as hard to prove our creative legitimacy.“

The Impact Today: How Criticism Shaped Genshin’s Ongoing Evolution

Perhaps most remarkably, the influence of those early criticisms continues to shape Genshin Impact’s development philosophy years after its release. Each new region added to the game – from Inazuma to Sumeru and beyond – has intentionally introduced mechanics and environmental features with no parallel in Breath of the Wild.

A Game That Outgrew Its Comparisons

Today, with over 65 million players worldwide and revenues exceeding $4 billion, Genshin Impact has established itself as a gaming phenomenon in its own right. Players who have spent hundreds of hours in Teyvat rarely mention Breath of the Wild comparisons, instead focusing on the game’s unique character roster, constantly evolving story, and regular content updates.

Zhang Li, current lead producer for Genshin Impact, noted in a 2022 GDC presentation:

“Those early comparisons were painful but ultimately beneficial. They ensured we never became complacent with merely meeting expectations – we constantly push to exceed them and establish our own gaming legacy.“

My Thoughts: What Developers and Players Can Learn From This Story

The emotional journey of the Genshin Impact team offers valuable lessons for both developers and gaming communities. For developers, it demonstrates how criticism, however painful, can be channeled into positive creative energy. Rather than abandoning their vision, miHoYo refined it, focusing on differentiation without sacrificing their core concept.

For players and critics, it’s a reminder that initial impressions don’t tell the complete story of a game’s identity. Many of today’s most beloved gaming franchises drew significant inspiration from predecessors before evolving into something distinctive.

The most compelling aspect of this story is how human the development process truly is. Behind every game are real people whose emotional investment in their work runs deep. The tears shed by miHoYo’s team remind us that developers aren’t faceless corporations but passionate creators whose feelings can be profoundly affected by how their work is received.

As Genshin Impact continues to evolve with each update, it stands as testament to the resilience of creative teams who use criticism as a springboard rather than a stumbling block. What began as a game dismissed as a “BOTW clone” has become a cultural phenomenon that has inspired its own imitators – perhaps the ultimate vindication for a team once accused of lacking originality.

Conclusion

The journey of Genshin Impact from tearful controversy to triumphant success reveals the complex emotional landscape of game development. While the initial “BOTW clone” accusations deeply hurt the development team, they ultimately served as motivation to create something that transcended those comparisons.

Today, Genshin Impact stands as one of gaming’s most successful titles, having carved out its own unique identity through distinctive characters, combat systems, and an ever-expanding world. The tears shed by developers in 2019 have transformed into celebrations of a creative vision vindicated by both commercial success and player dedication.

Perhaps the most important lesson from this story is that greatness often emerges not despite criticism but because of how creators respond to it. By channeling their emotional response into determination rather than despair, miHoYo transformed a potentially devastating controversy into the fuel for creating a genuine gaming phenomenon.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Did Nintendo ever take legal action against miHoYo for Genshin Impact’s similarities to Breath of the Wild?

No, Nintendo never pursued legal action against miHoYo regarding Genshin Impact. While there were visual and mechanical similarities, game mechanics and general aesthetic styles are typically not protected by copyright law, which focuses more on specific creative expressions rather than broader concepts.

2. How financially successful has Genshin Impact been compared to Breath of the Wild?

Genshin Impact has been extraordinarily successful financially, generating over $4 billion in revenue since its launch in 2020. By comparison, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has sold approximately 29 million copies across Switch and Wii U platforms, which would translate to roughly $1.7-2 billion in revenue. However, it’s worth noting that these games have different monetization models – BOTW is a premium one-time purchase while Genshin is free-to-play with microtransactions.

3. What features does Genshin Impact have that weren’t inspired by Breath of the Wild?

Genshin Impact’s most distinctive features include its gacha character system, elemental combat with reactions between different elements, multiplayer functionality, regular content updates and events, anime-style narrative and aesthetics, and its unique approach to character-switching as a core combat mechanic. None of these elements were present in Breath of the Wild.

4. How has the perception of Genshin Impact changed since its initial controversy?

The perception of Genshin Impact has dramatically evolved since launch. While initially dismissed by many as a BOTW clone, it’s now widely recognized as a groundbreaking game in its own right. The gaming community and media now frequently praise its unique elements, ongoing development, and cultural impact, with the BOTW comparisons rarely mentioned in current discussions about the game.

5. Has miHoYo addressed the “clone” controversy publicly?

While miHoYo has occasionally acknowledged drawing inspiration from various games including Breath of the Wild, the company has generally avoided directly addressing the clone controversy in major public statements. Instead, they’ve let Genshin Impact’s ongoing development and success speak for itself, focusing their public communications on upcoming content and community engagement rather than past controversies.