ALBAWABA - Hoyoverse's popular gacha game, Genshin Impact is under fire among pro-Palestine gamers on X (formerly known as Twitter) after making a post hinting at an alleged collaboration with fast-food chain McDonald's which is part of the boycott campaign against products and services backing up the occupying state of Israel.
The official Genshin Impact account on X posted a picture of several in-game items 'Mora' (the game's currency), a Cecilia flower, Dandelion seeds, onigiri, and more which ended up spelling McDonald's according to some users in the comment section.
The post was captioned with, "A mysterious note of unknown origin. All that's on it are some strange symbols..."
Genshin Impact is no stranger when it comes to collaborating with other fast-food companies including Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in China as an example.
Genshin Impact X McDonald's faces backlash from pro-Palestine gamers
One user on X replied to the post with, "It says "Mcdonalds" right? Mora, Cecilia, Dandelion seeds, Onigiri, Noctilucous jade, Apple, Lakelight Lillies, Dandelion Seeds, Silk flower."
Users swarmed the comment section trying to convince others to boycott the collaboration due to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the killing of more than 40,000 Palestinians and the injuring of at least 94,000.
McDonald's is among the chains being boycotted by pro-Palestine activists including other companies like Starbucks, Burger King, KFC, Poppeyes, Pizza Hut, and more due to their alleged link to Israel.
Some also shared a screenshot from the BDS movement, a site that shares products linked to Israel including tech, tourism, real estate, banks, fast-food chains, and streaming services.
A possible Genshin Impact collaboration with McDonald's coming soon?
A user on X also claimed that a Genshin Impact collaboration with McDonald's is coming on Sep. 29, 2024, hinting at possible rewards if players go and buy select items there.
This is problematic to many players one user said, claiming that Genshin Impact gamers are "bad" at boycotting:
"McDonald's knows what they're doing; what player base to tap into. Genshin players are so bad at boycotting / acting out of spite that they are confident this collab will work and bring in money and attention to them again."
