August 20th, at 10 AM, “Black Myth: Wukong” was globally unlocked and launched on PS5, Steam, Epic Games Store, and WeGame platforms, swiftly soaring to the top of sales charts across multiple platforms such as Steam and WeGame, igniting a wave of Eastern fantasy fascination among gamers worldwide.
Dubbed a phenomenal masterpiece, this Chinese-made AAA game has garnered immense attention. Topics and videos related to “Black Myth: Wukong” have amassed over 14 million views on Bilibili in China and surpassed 6 million hits on YouTube. Immediately after its 10 AM launch on August 20th, the game’s concurrent player count on Steam surpassed 1.14 million, catapulting it to the top of Steam’s Most Played list and dominating popular game charts in numerous countries.
Intrigued, we’ve compiled three key factors behind its viral success:
Embodiment of Traditional Chinese Aesthetics: The game’s backdrop, design, artwork, and gameplay systems are a harmonious blend of traditional Chinese culture and technology, reinterpreting the “Journey to the West” tale through a Chinese lens and philosophy. The development team traveled to Jincheng, Shanxi, to draw inspiration from the ancient painted sculptures at the Jade Emperor Temple, infusing the game’s world with the exquisite craftsmanship and profound aesthetics of ancient China.
Showcasing a Chinese Superhero in Chinese Narrative: In Chinese mythology, Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King, reigns supreme as a cultural icon. However, for a long time, many Westerners’ perceptions of Sun Wukong were skewed, shaped largely by Marvel’s “Monkey King” comics and Japanese adaptations. “Black Myth: Wukong” revolutionizes this by presenting the authentic Monkey King—with his furry face, thunderous mouth, phoenix-winged purple crown, golden chain armor, and the all-powerful golden-banded staff—as the supernatural hero of China’s mountains, beasts, and temples, embodying the essence of “72 transformations.”
A Milestone in Chinese Gaming: Prior to this, numerous games featuring Chinese IPs (such as the “Three Kingdoms”) were primarily developed and popularized by foreign studios. As the first AAA domestic game, “Black Myth: Wukong” not only fulfills countless gamers’ aspirations for a Chinese game telling a Chinese story but also signifies a leap forward in China’s gaming industrialization. In industry parlance, it signifies that Chinese games can now compete in the “high-end game.” This milestone has garnered global attention from the outset.
Following “Black Myth: Wukong”‘s explosive popularity, netizens hailed it as the dawn of the domestic AAA gaming era, marking a breakthrough for China’s gaming industry while offering global players a fresh avenue to understand Chinese culture. The game’s success has also attracted the scrutiny of certain organizations, with Rebekah Valentine, a female editor at IGN headquarters, co-authoring an article
(https://www.ign.com/articles/how-black-myth-wukong-developers-history-of-sexism-is-complicating-its-journey-to-the-west) that cited alleged sexist tweets from the game’s creators over a decade ago, accusing Game Science Studio of fostering a sexist environment. The article also alleged discrimination and oppression against women and non-binary genders within China’s gaming industry and internet discourse.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that Rebekah Valentine is also a member of the “Sweet Baby” collective, known for employing intimidation tactics to interfere with game development and threaten game companies with public criticism unless they incorporate themes of inclusivity and diversity. This group’s actions have even garnered the attention of Elon Musk, who labeled them as “a scourge on the gaming industry”
(https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1768887649723453592).
The ripple effects of this digital controversy remain to be seen.