No matter whether you play games or not, you've probably seen "Wukong" trending these past few days.

On August 20th, the domestic game "Black Myth: Wukong" officially launched. According to Steam data, within less than an hour of launch, the game's concurrent online players surpassed one million.

Previously, according to Valve's latest weekly sales ranking on the Steam platform, "Black Myth: Wukong" pre-orders ranked first globally during that period and topped the charts in 12 regions, including the United States and Singapore.

On the first day of launch, multiple companies announced giving employees time off and even reimbursing game purchase costs. Media outlets such as Guokr, Sichuan Observer, 36Kr, Vista, and Ifeng Technology broadcast "paid gaming sessions" on their official accounts. On Douyin, game streamers who usually start streaming in the afternoon began streaming in the morning, attracting over 100,000 online viewers at one point.

According to national game sales rankings, by 8 pm on the 20th, total game sales exceeded 4.5 million copies, with total sales exceeding 1.5 billion yuan.

Quotes from its producer, Feng Ji, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency have been widely circulated on social media, such as "Wu Cheng'en and Shakespeare aren't that different" and "Embarking on the journey to retrieve the Buddhist sutras is more important than reaching the Lingshan Mountain." "Even if you've never played any action-adventure games before, I'm confident that Black Monkey will be your ideal first love."

Which brands have benefited from the game's popularity on trending topics and favorable reviews? Can its path to fame be replicated?

I. Joint branding sells out: Which brands have benefited?

The popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" has attracted numerous cross-industry collaborations. According to incomplete statistics from "Growth Factory," over ten companies, including NVIDIA, Hisense, JD.com, Lenovo, Didi, 8BitDo, GeekCustoms, Zhitai, INART, and Luckin Coffee, have collaborated with the game, covering industries such as electronics, apparel, transportation, and catering.

These collaborations have resulted in tangible sales growth for the brands.

For example, in April this year, Hisense TV announced its partnership with "Black Myth: Wukong" as the game's global official partner, officially launching its custom flagship TV series, Hisense TV E8N, and its official collaboration monitor, Hisense Monitor 27G7K Pro.

In JD.com's official product reviews, some buyers commented that "the exclusive color mode for Black Monkey is exactly what a collaboration should be like," indicating that many consumers were attracted by the collaboration.

In August, third-party controller manufacturer 8BitDo officially announced its partnership with "Black Myth: Wukong" as the game's global official partner and launched a joint branded controller. The wireless version retails for 169 yuan, while the wired version costs 129 yuan. Both versions have sold over 10,000 units, and a second round of pre-sales has begun.

Furthermore, JD.com is "Black Myth: Wukong"'s global official partner and the exclusive pre-order platform for the game's physical collector's edition and deluxe edition. JD.com's collaboration has once again solidified its position as a leader in the 3C electronics sector.

Lenovo has launched joint branded laptops and desktops with "Black Myth: Wukong." Didi Qingju and Zhitai have become the game's official cycling partner and designated storage brand, respectively. GeekCustoms has collaborated on "Heart Monkey" apparel.

It was rumored that CITIC Press would participate in publishing the "Black Myth: Wukong" artbook, which includes detailed information on the game's backstory, character designs, item settings, and scene descriptions. As a result, CITIC Press's share price hit the daily upper limit with a 20% increase on August 20th.

Certainly, the most notable collaboration was with Luckin Coffee.

On August 19th, Luckin Coffee officially announced on its WeChat official account the launch of its joint product with "Black Myth: Wukong," the "Black Myth Cloud Soaring Americano." Purchasing designated meal combos at stores included limited edition A4 lenticular cards and other merchandise.

This announcement received 98,000 shares, compared to only 34,000 shares for Luckin Coffee's announcement a week earlier about Liu Yifei becoming its global brand ambassador. The impact of this brand collaboration is evident.

Merchandise sold out immediately upon launch, and the hashtag "Luckin Coffee Collaboration with Black Myth Wukong" trended on social media. In response to the high demand, Luckin Coffee tweeted on its official Weibo account that morning that its system had experienced a brief outage but was now restored.

Luckin Coffee's Chief Growth Officer, Yang Fei, expressed his surprise on WeChat Moments: "Merchandise sold out nationwide in seconds, almost crashing our system. Men's purchasing power this morning has surpassed our team's expectations." In the comments, Yang Fei even added, "More reliable than 10 Father's Days."

However, Yang Fei's comments also sparked negative feedback. Some users accused him of promoting gender divides as a Luckin Coffee spokesperson, stating, "Luckin Coffee is a coffee brand, not Hailan Home. It doesn't only sell to men."

In the past, game collaborations often occurred after a game's release or popularity. However, "Black Myth: Wukong" secured numerous collaborations before its launch, demonstrating major brands' confidence in the game. These cross-industry collaborations fueled the game's popularity.

II. Replicable and Irreplicable Factors

The phenomenal popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" resulted from the combined efforts of various parties, with both replicable and irreplicable factors involved.

3A games require substantial funding, time, and highly technical expertise, representing the pinnacle of game development. However, due to their long lifecycles and relatively rigid structures, new 3A games struggle to stand out, making 3A game development a costly endeavor with uncertain returns.

As a result, many domestic game giants avoid this sector, instead focusing on mobile and online games for profit.

"Black Myth: Wukong" capitalized on the zeitgeist of "everyone waiting for a domestic 3A masterpiece," representing a breakthrough from zero to one.

Therefore, the public holds a high degree of tolerance for the game.

As one netizen put it, "The village's first college student is celebrated, regardless of whether they attend a second- or third-tier university."

Certainly, "Black Myth: Wukong" has delivered on its promise.

According to Metacritic, a global game review website, as of early Saturday, August 17th, 52 global media outlets gave the game an average score of 82 out of 100. Among them, GamingBolt, God is a Geek, GamersRD, and Chinese gaming website Gamersky all awarded full marks. Additionally, eight other outlets gave it scores above 90 (or 9 out of 10).

"Black Myth: Wukong" also benefits from its cultural relevance in telling a Chinese story well.

Journey to the West is a well-known IP, and Sun Wukong is a beloved hero among Chinese people. Adaptations of Journey to the West have produced numerous classics, including both TV series and animated versions. In recent years, films like "Monkey King: Hero is Back" and "The Little Monster's Summer" from "Chinese Odd Tales" have successfully portrayed Sun Wukong's character.

Beyond Sun Wukong, from Hanfu to niche intangible cultural heritage products, we are becoming increasingly confident in our culture and aspire for global cultural recognition. If Donald Duck, Spider-Man, and Ultraman can become global IPs, why can't our Sun Wukong?

"Black Myth: Wukong" combines leveling-up gameplay with Chinese aesthetics drawn from ancient architecture and a worldview that integrates Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, all conveying to players that this is a game centered on Chinese culture.

Driven by the vision of cultural export, both official media and grassroots UP owners have become forces propelling "Black Myth: Wukong" beyond its original audience.

Xinhua News Agency interviewed the game's producer, while Tianyan News, Sichuan Observer, Ifeng News, and Jiemian News broadcast gameplay live. The official media account "Nanjing Release" published an article titled "Wukong: Nanjing Moms Are Proud of You!" Bilibili UP owners voluntarily operated unofficial promotional accounts on overseas platforms to introduce Eastern mythology to foreigners.

One characteristic of 3A games is their high marketing budget. While "Black Myth: Wukong" benefits from favorable timing and location, proactive marketing is essential.

On August 20th, 2020, "Black Myth: Wukong" released an in-game demo video on Bilibili, which netizens called a "grass growing out of concrete" and significantly raised public expectations.

Precisely because the trailer was so impressive, whether the promises made would materialize became a hot topic in the industry.

Since then, on August 20th each year, the development team has released the latest in-game footage, turning online game enthusiasts into "Black Myth: Wukong"'s virtual shareholders.

"Black Myth: Wukong" generated significant buzz on social media, turning August 20th into a promotional node that game developers have sought to avoid for the past few years. This trend may continue for years to come.

For overseas players, "Black Myth: Wukong" launched a video submission campaign, encouraging netizens and bloggers to create videos about Journey to the West, Chinese mythology, and legends, offering merchandise as prizes. Meanwhile, the game collaborated with bloggers to promote the game's backstory, source material, and author.

In China, Bilibili and Douyin are crucial promotional platforms for "Black Myth: Wukong".

On Bilibili, besides annual updates of in-game footage, a dedicated "Black Myth: Wukong" column was set up before the game's release, featuring media reviews and UP owner gameplay videos.

In Douyin's gaming section, during the second phase of the "Destiny Caller Recruitment Order" event, players could participate in raffles by submitting related content, with a chance to win prizes from the prize pool.

3A games in development often maintain long-term exposure to attract player attention, which acts as a "get-out-of-jail-free" card, protecting projects from being easily canceled. Thus, many 3A games begin hyping up early.

In contrast, "Black Myth: Wukong"'s proactive marketing was relatively low-key, concentrated mainly in the months leading up to its release. With already high anticipation, the game leveraged intense exposure in a short period to create a sense of urgency and boost sales.

"Black Myth: Wukong"'s success stems from favorable timing and location, game quality, and marketing strategies. Among these factors, the most easily replicable may not be the most valuable to replicate.