Black Myth: Wukong marks turnaround for gaming in China
BEIJING – Gaming enthusiast Yang Jingyan was among hundreds of thousands of Chinese who played China’s first blockbuster video game, Black Myth: Wukong, on the first day of its release on Aug 20.
He had been looking forward to the action role-playing game featuring the hero Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King, ever since it was announced in 2020 by its developer, Shenzhen-headquartered studio Game Science.
To him, the wait was worth it.
What impressed Mr Yang is not just the game’s fluid combat gameplay and elaborate character designs, but also its attention to Chinese culture and mythology, such as the use of narration in the form of Chinese opera.
“In my eyes, it is by no means inferior to other AAA games that I’ve played,” said Mr Yang, 25, a master’s student in Chinese medicine in Beijing.
Wukong is China’s first AAA game – an industry term referring to high-budget, high-profile titles by well-known publishers – a field traditionally dominated by American and European studios.
The power of the world’s largest gaming market meant that within a day of its release, Wukong surged to become the most-played single-player game ever on Steam, a popular video game distribution platform. Nearly 90 per cent of its players are from China, where it generated significant buzz.
State media Xinhua ran a 30-minute documentary on the game’s makers on Aug 19, companies from computer-maker Lenovo to Luckin Coffee unveiled Monkey King-themed promotions, and dozens of top live streamers played the game on Bilibili and WeChat. It was the top trending topic on Chinese microblogging site Weibo throughout Aug 20.
The recognition given to Wukong marks a turnaround for China’s gaming industry, which has faced regulatory crackdowns in recent years.
In 2021, Chinese state media described gaming as “spiritual opium”, raising concerns about excessive gaming by young people. In December 2023, China’s gaming regulator proposed draft legislation to curb the amount of money people spend on video games – a move which tanked stocks of gaming companies, and was later walked back.
However, since 2024, local governments have eased restrictions and pushed incentives.
In July, the Press and Publication Bureau of Guangdong province issued a notice saying that game companies can test games online without first receiving an official licence. In March, the Hi-Tech Zone in the city of Chengdu dangled rewards of up to 500,000 yuan (S$91,600) to game developers for each licensed, original work published for the first time.
Chinese analysts estimated that Wukong has sold more than 4.5 million copies at its launch and this has raised hopes that it can become China’s next big cultural export.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now