One year after the post was made, a popularGenshin Impactpetition that gathered over 100,000 signatures has just recently hit a new major milestone. The action RPG by HoYoverse is currently going through Version 5.7,a patch with an important Archon Quest and the introduction of Skirk as a playable character. However, the game will soon head into its next update, considering the regular six-week schedule for each patch.
Before the release of Natlan, but after the character showcase presented by HoYoverse, fans started a petition requesting that the game reassess Natlan’s characters. Thepetition for better representation inGenshin ImpactonChange.orgreached over 70,000 signatures at the time of its publication, with supporters accusing the game of whitewashing its roster of Natlan characters, who are clearly inspired by Western African and South American cultures. Recently, however,the petition requesting better representation applied to the game’s characters has gone over 125,000 signatures. To be more precise, the petition now has 126,407 signatures (at the time of writing).
Genshin Impact Petition Over Cultural Appropriation Hits Over 125,000 Signatures
The Petition Is Still Growing, Even After A Year
Overall, the complaint is how the game uses elements and figures from these cultures, but applies them to characters who don’t ethnically represent them. Theproblems with whitewashing inGenshin Impactare long-standing, with a notable lack of diversity in its character roster. Even so, the issue became more evident with Natlan.HoYoverse has shown no signs that it is working on improving thatand, instead, has retained all the original character designs it has shown.
Despite The Petition Being Almost A Year Old, Fans Are Still Signing
Genshin Impact Fans Still Hope HoYoverse Will Listen To Their Requests
Although the petition is almost a year old and the developer has shown no signs that the fan requests are being heard,it seems like the community is still hopeful that the company will, eventually, take their accusations into consideration. The petition did have a boom in popularity in 2024, but the discussion around HoYoverse’s alleged colorism have been largely diminished. Even so, there’s still a large portion of the community that takes this issue seriously.
Even after so much commotion from the community, it seems like HoYoverse is unwilling to consider what fans are saying. With the game eventually moving into Nod-Krai, a region inspired by European cultures, it’s likely that the odds in favor of more cultural representation are poor. Despite how strong theGenshin Impactpetition is, it seems unsure fans will ever see a change in how HoYoverse tackles its cultural appropriation behavior and whitewashed character design.
