Onmyoji's '#PlayersApologize' Weibo Trending Exposed as Alleged Paid PR Stunt — Players Roast: 'I Forgive Myself on Behalf of the Players'

A single Weibo trending hashtag managed to enrage the entire Onmyoji (阴阳师) playerbase — not because of some absurd game update, but because of the hashtag itself: '#Onmyoji Players Apologize' (#阴阳师 玩家道歉).

The original poster dropped the screenshot with a loaded question: "So who paid for this? Definitely wasn't the players." The implication is crystal clear — this trending topic was almost certainly a paid PR stunt by NetEase's Zen Studio, the development team behind Onmyoji.

To understand why this blew up, you need to know that "Zen" (zen工作室) has become a dirty word in the Onmyoji community. Years of questionable management decisions, controversial game changes, and a pattern of ignoring player feedback have earned them the nickname "先帝" (xiāndì, "the late emperor") — a dark joke suggesting Onmyoji is basically on life support, and Zen keeps pulling the plug faster. A hashtag essentially saying "players are sorry" poured salt on every wound.

More screenshots from other users provided additional context on just how absurd this trending topic was.

The NGA comment section erupted instantly. One user said "I'm literally speechless," while another admitted "I've stopped being angry — now I'm just laughing." When rage reaches its ceiling, it transforms into pure cope.

The absolute highlight was the 5th reply, which performed an entire traditional Chinese funeral ceremony in text form: "First bow, second bow, third bow, offer incense, ceremony complete." — complete with meme images, suggesting that Zen's stunt was essentially a funeral for whatever remained of their credibility.

Reply #10 delivered what might be the most legendary burn of the thread: "I never should have helped that dog find its killer back in the day. Genshin's 'Original Cold King' era was just a digital criminal record, but Onmyoji? It's my digital psychiatric certificate. From now on, when I tell people I used to play Onmyoji, they'll look at me with deep respect and ask: 'You must be really good at apologizing, huh?'" — elevating playing Onmyoji from "cringe past" to "genuine trauma."

Reply #12 went full funeral mode: "Whatever, the dead deserve respect. Today is Zen's 7th-day memorial (头七). I'll burn my useless skin coupons and costume items for Zen. Rest in peace." — using the traditional Chinese 7-day mourning ritual to mock Zen, showing just how deep the resentment runs.

Reply #16 nailed the sarcasm: "Players should apologize to Zen! It just wanted a way to save face. It's only 7 years old, still young and naive — why are you guys being so hard on it?" Then the kicker in parentheses: "(5 mao per post, delete this part)" — directly implying the whole thing reeked of astroturfing and paid comment operations ("5 mao" or 五毛 refers to the infamous 50-cent army of paid online commenters in China).

Reply #13 captured the core disconnect in one line: "Zen: Onmyoji players voluntarily apologize. Onmyoji players: ???" — 痒痒鼠 (Yangyangshu, 'Itchy Mouse') is the community's self-deprecating nickname for Onmyoji players, and the gap between the official narrative and actual player sentiment could not be wider.

Reply #17 was surgical: "Is the late emperor (先帝) afraid of not dying fast enough?" — using the community's go-to meme for Onmyoji's declining state, suggesting Zen is speedrunning the game's death.

The crux of this drama is straightforward: after facing community backlash, the studio allegedly chose to buy a trending hashtag implying players had apologized — rather than engaging in genuine communication. This backfired spectacularly, reinforcing the players' core complaint that "Zen never listens." The comment section's shift from anger to pure mockery suggests players have given up on expecting accountability and are now just here for the memes.

As of now, there has been no official response confirming or denying whether the trending topic was paid promotion. But looking at the community's reaction, Zen's credibility has hit rock bottom. As the now-iconic phrase goes: "I forgive myself on behalf of the players" — perhaps the most accurate summary of the relationship between this developer and its community.