Black Myth: Wukong, a triple-A action role-playing video game that was developed by Chinese studio Game Science, achieved immediate critical and commercial success upon its release on 20 August, with various media outlets noting that it has smashed numerous gaming records.
With a reported budget of US$50 million and high production values rarely seen in Chinese games, Black Myth has not only become the best-selling game on the popular gaming platform Steam, but also its most-played single-player game, with a total of 2.3 million concurrent players in only 48 hours.
In the gaming industry, a triple-A game refers to one that has had sizable investment in development and marketing.
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Xinhua reported yesterday that more than 4.5 million copies of the game had been sold, making it China’s first runaway hit title in the video game industry.
The game has received mostly positive reviews, with video game specialist publication IGN describing it as “a great action game with fantastic combat, exciting bosses, tantalising secrets and a beautiful world.”
Black Myth is a gaming adaptation of the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, focusing on the Destined One, a character based on the iconic Monkey King, and his adventures, following the events of the original story.
But while Black Myth has attracted a significant amount of positive publicity, it has been criticised on several fronts. Key members of the development team have been criticised for past sexist comments, as well as recruitment ads that make use of imagery that is demeaning to women. Other critics have also argued that the game falls short in terms of inclusivity and diversity.
Nonetheless, the title is already being seen as a milestone in the spread of Chinese soft power, as pointed out by CCTV whose WeChat post noted that “in the past, Chinese gamers had to go through a process of intercultural understanding, but it’s overseas players’ turn to understand traditional Chinese culture by learning about Journey to the West.”
Currently, the game is available on Windows and PlayStation 5, although there are plans to release it on the Xbox platform at a later date.
Journey to the West has not only been adapted into video games, but has also been the source of inspiration for movies, anime and TV series.
