Black Myth: Wukong - A Cultural Game Changer from China

Chinese state media supports 'Black Myth: Wukong', a video game adaptation of the Ming dynasty epic 'Journey to the West', to promote Chinese culture globally. The game, featuring the mythological monkey king Sun Wukong, garnered huge popularity and is expected to influence global gaming trends while integrating Chinese elements.

Chinese state media has thrown its full support behind 'Black Myth: Wukong,' China's most successful single-player video game to date, insisting its adaptation of the Ming dynasty epic 'Journey to the West' will force Western players to engage with Chinese culture.

The game, based on the mythological monkey king Sun Wukong, witnessed 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam, a major gaming platform, a day after its release. China Central Television emphasized that this turn of events would facilitate a cross-cultural understanding, promoting Chinese traditional culture globally.

Driven by the beloved character Sun Wukong, 'Black Myth: Wukong' demands familiarity with the 16th-century plot from its players. Launched by Tencent-backed startup Game Science, the game saw immense support on Chinese social media, amassing 1.7 billion views on Weibo.

State news agency Xinhua highlighted this release as a bold entry by Chinese developers into a market typically dominated by Western titles. The game's success is expected to shift the default language for AAA games from English to Chinese.

Analysts predict that 'Black Myth: Wukong' will attract global players and profit various Chinese companies through intellectual property tie-ins. Companies like Didi, Lenovo Group, and Luckin Coffee are already integrating game elements into their promotional campaigns.

However, gaming stocks remained unchanged despite the game's significant attention. 'Black Myth: Wukong' stands out as China's first AAA game, differing from other Chinese mobile games by focusing on a one-time purchase model. With a standard version price of 268 yuan ($37.58) and a premium version at 328 yuan, pre-sales reached 400 million yuan as of its launch.

It remains to be seen if this business model will be profitable, but industry insiders believe China finally has a AAA game that can compete globally, offering a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture while entertaining players.

(With inputs from agencies.)