Genshin Impact's Natlan trailer has fans divided

Genshin ImpactNatlan's next big adventure is almost here, but it's not as cheerful as its rainbow-painted landscapes might suggest.

On Friday, developer Hoyoverse released a trailer showcasing 11 characters who will be joining the game as part of Natlan's story, including one important figure: the possible Pyro Archon, Mavuika.

While a new character usually generates excitement within the fandom, the trailer and Mavuika have inspired criticism from players who say the characters are based on Latin American cultures but do not adequately represent them.

Originally released in 2020, Genshin Impact It is one of the star games of Constantly growing game catalog from developer Hoyoverse. In it, players take on the role of The Traveler, a twin searching for his long-lost brother in a sprawling open-world adventure.

Image: Hoyoverse

In the summer of 2023, the developers added the Fontaine region, a watery paradise inspired by France and the United Kingdom. In 2022, the development team released Sumeru, a region inspired by the towns and regions of the Middle East and South Asia, which some Criticized for using stereotypes to build their world.

This time around, players will be traveling to the land of Natlan. Hoyoverse has yet to announce a release date, but the current patch schedule suggests we can expect the update sometime this summer.

We don't know much about the region yet either. Hoyoverse has released two trailers, including Friday's one, but previous information (such as its name) suggests it would be at least vaguely inspired by Latin America.

Fans have pointed that “Natlan” seems to derive from Aztlán, the ancestral home of the Aztecs. In the world of Genshin ImpactNatlan is the land of war and the home of the Archon Pyro, the god of the element of fire. These kinds of traditions reflect some aspects of Aztec culture, such as the god Huitzilopochtli, who is also the god of fire and war. In addition, players have found cultural connections and references with peoples from different regions, such as West Africa and Australia.

Each region of the world is ruled by an “Archon,” a celestial god who typically wields a specific element. Given Mavuika’s centrality in the trailer, her grandiose design, and seemingly flame-themed appearance, she seems to be positioned as the Pyro Archon in Natlan. There’s just one problem: she’s white.

Now, TikTok fans are calling out the development team for their decision to portray characters as white or light-skinned. The top comment on one video, which was I liked it more than 3,500 times, he said: “sighs really loudly at the pyro archon,” possibly to express boredom or exasperation with the design. In response, another said, “bro she is literally really hot but she is pale,” with a crying emoji. Another responded by criticizing the Hoyoverse development team: “this is so sad even after the amount of complaints they don’t listen to.” Others have responded by creating videos where darken the skin tone Of the characters.

Some fans have taken a different tone and responded with jokes about the new character. The most notable comment on a video on the official site TikTok account for Genshin Impact It says, “Close enough, welcome back Sunset Shimmer,” as Archon shares a color design scheme with the My Little Pony character.

So far, Hoyoverse has not confirmed that Mavuika is the Pyro Archon. If she is not the original leader of Earth, skeptical fans might have a different answer in the future.

Character revelations are the soul of the story. Genshin Impact Community. The excitement around an update can be defined by how loved or anticipated a given character is. For now, fans will just have to wait and see where the story takes her as a character.