Many Chinese gamers see "Black Myth: Wukong" as a beacon of hope for domestic 3A games, hoping it will "cause all the buddhas to vanish into thin air!"

After causing chaos in Heaven, Wukong is now causing havoc in the mortal world.

From the trending topic "Black Myth Wukong Countdown 1 Day" on August 19, 2024, to "Black Myth Wukong Tops Steam's Global Popular Games List" on August 20, "Black Myth: Wukong" caused chaos in the mortal world within twelve hours.

It's rare to see such chaos in the 3A game scene. The last time something similar happened was with games like "Sekiro," "Elden Ring," "God of War," "Assassin's Creed," and "Red Dead Redemption," all from Europe, America, and Japan.

Just like China winning world championships in sprinting and football, "Black Myth: Wukong" has invigorated Chinese game developers and boosted the morale of Chinese gamers.

The stories that unfolded within those twelve hours represent the pride of the "Black Myth: Wukong" team, who spent six years honing their craft, and the rebirth of domestic 3A games in China over the past 24 years...

Dawn in Twelve Hours

In the gaming world, 3A titles have always been an important benchmark for measuring the strength of a country's gaming industry. For a long time, China's gaming market lacked 3A-level works. The emergence of "Black Myth: Wukong" not only broke this situation but also sparked a national celebration.

Six days before the official launch, the official Weibo account of "Black Myth: Wukong" started a countdown. With well-produced gameplay videos as a teaser, players suffered through the daily wait, and their enthusiasm continued to build.

On the last day of the countdown, the popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" quickly spread to the co-branding market, with related stocks soaring and the computer hardware market also feeling the impact.

From Luckin Coffee's co-branded meals to various merchandise, all were eagerly sought after by players. Demand for game-related merchandise surged, with limited edition posters and merchandise quickly selling out, showcasing the strong purchasing power of male consumers. Customer service teams were overwhelmed, and reports indicated that collector's editions had doubled in price on the secondary market.

Luckin CGO Yang Fei posted on WeChat:

"Nationwide merchandise sold out in seconds, almost crashing the system. Male purchasing power has blown our minds this morning." It was even "more reliable than 10 Father's Days combined."

This cross-branding collaboration not only raised the game's profile but also strengthened the connection between the brand and young consumers.

Finally, on August 20, the Chinese gaming industry witnessed a historic moment – the official launch of "Black Myth: Wukong," which quickly topped global sales charts and had over a million online players within an hour, an unprecedented feat for a domestic game.

Since the release of its first trailer, "Black Myth: Wukong" has consistently captured players' attention. From promotion to recruitment to its successful launch, it has generated increasing buzz. Within a month of pre-sales opening, it sold 1.2 million copies, generating nearly RMB 400 million in sales, setting a new record for domestic game pre-sales.

On its first day of release, it topped global sales on Steam, emerging as a dark horse.

Numerous gaming bloggers and celebrities spontaneously promoted the game on various social platforms. Players' enthusiastic response stems from the game's technical prowess and quality, as well as their high expectations for domestic 3A games and love for traditional Chinese culture. The game's unique cultural heritage resonates deeply with players.

"Black Myth: Wukong" deeply integrates traditional Chinese culture, blending the classic story of "Journey to the West" with modern gaming technology to offer players a fresh gaming experience. Game scenes are based on real-life locations such as temples in Shanxi, Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing, and Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, providing players with a captivating glimpse of Chinese landscapes and cultural features.

Not only did companies announce holidays for employees to experience this cultural and visual feast, but 36 domestic locations gained fame due to the game, bringing new opportunities to local tourism.

As the game gained popularity overseas, it sparked a "Journey to the West" craze among foreign netizens, prompting many to delve into the original work, further promoting the international spread of Chinese culture.

In the global 3A gaming scene, "Black Myth: Wukong" presents a tantalizing Chinese feast to players worldwide. From the persistence and innovation of Game Science Studio to collaborations with major brands and the positive response from capital markets, the convergence of these forces has contributed to the glory of this domestic 3A game.

Six Years of Polishing

The first joyous song was sung in Shenzhen in 2018.

That year, Game Science Studio, which had only been established for four years, embarked on the development of a single-player game to make up for the regret of "Dou Shen Zhan" (Fighting God). After discussion, the team decided to base the game on "Journey to the West."

There were no world-class single-player games in China at the time, reflecting the difficulty of producing such games. With no relevant experience, the small Game Science team experimented and created while learning.

The first major challenge they faced was a lack of talent. In the two years after the "Wukong" project began, the team completed only the "Black Wind Mountain" level, undergoing countless optimizations and revisions. They realized that technical talent was crucial to improving production efficiency and addressing shortcomings.

Recruitment became imperative. This proactive move laid the foundation for their future success and was a pivotal turning point in their fortunes.

On August 20, 2020, Game Science Studio released its first gameplay demo video, which went viral. Within hours, it garnered over a million views on Bilibili and over ten thousand retweets on Weibo, exceeding the team's expectations.

The demo video, which doubled as a recruitment advertisement, was a huge success, attracting tens of thousands of resumes to Game Science Studio's inbox. Among the applicants were former colleagues from the 13-member team's previous employer, Tencent.

After watching the video, Tencent approached the studio with an investment offer. Founder Feng Ji asked directly if they would participate or interfere in the game's development and operation. Tencent people should know Tencent best, but this time, Feng Ji was mistaken. "After investing, just treat us like we're not even here," they said.

Now that "Black Myth: Wukong" has become a hit, netizens unanimously see it as Tencent's redemption for controversies surrounding games like "Honor of Kings" over the years.

In Feng Ji's view, much of the demo video's popularity was due to luck rather than the team's excellence. It stemmed from people's love for traditional Chinese culture. For the core team, this brought immense anxiety and pressure. The praise from the public pushed "Black Myth: Wukong" to new heights, meaning any failure to meet expectations would be disastrous. Facing public anticipation and pressure from the domestic gaming environment, Feng Ji responded: "The outside world has constructed an 'imagined community' for us: an overly perfect image without flaws, carrying all past grievances and hopes. This is an external filter, but let me be honest, our game also has flaws, imperfections, and unsightly aspects."

Everyone sees "Black Myth: Wukong" as the embodiment of Wukong, expecting it to represent China and cause chaos in the global gaming world. However, few understand that before causing chaos, Wukong must endure his own 81 trials and tribulations.

Feng Ji's entire team remained silent for a year. Amidst widespread anticipation, many feared it would be delayed like "The Legend of Zelda" or canceled due to production difficulties like "Watch Dogs." However, on August 20, 2021, Game Science Studio released a new 12-minute gameplay showcase, proving it was still alive and reigniting people's expectations.

This video featured in-game footage recorded using Unreal Engine 5, showcasing more detailed effects and realistic combat sensations, two of the game's strengths. Player reviews of "Wukong" improved even further.

On August 20, 2022, Game Science Studio released a six-minute gameplay cutscene on Bilibili, garnering over 23 million views.

On August 20, 2023, Game Science Studio hosted an exclusive offline gameplay livestream on Bilibili, attracting over 20.19 million viewers at its peak. The livestream replay exceeded two hours, with over 22,000 comments.

On the one hand, this annual event felt like a reunion; on the other, players viewed the game as a project they've nurtured, eagerly awaiting its triumphant arrival.

On December 8, 2023, Game Science Studio announced the release date of "Black Myth: Wukong" for August 20, 2024, facing its destiny head-on. On June 8, 2024, the studio confirmed that "Black Myth: Wukong" would launch globally on August 20, 2024, at 10 AM UTC+8, debuting on platforms including PS5 and Steam.

On August 8, 2024, Game Science Studio released the final trailer before the official launch.

At 10 AM on August 20, 2024, "Black Myth: Wukong" finally made its official debut.

24 Years of Rebirth and Renewal

In the early 21st century, domestic 3A games briefly flourished.

Three classic domestic games, known as the "Three Swords": "Jian Xia Qing Yuan" (Sword and Sorcery), "Xuan Yuan Jian" (Xuan-Yuan Sword), and "Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan" (Chinese Paladin), were beloved by many veteran gamers. Notably, "Ao Shi San Guo" (Pride of the Three Kingdoms) and "Qin Shang" (Sorrow of Qin), both produced by Goal Software, were considered 3A masterpieces at the time.

However, these 3A games failed to turn a profit due to rampant piracy. Each 3A game's production and promotion costs were estimated at RMB 3 million, but actual revenue was only RMB 3.5 million. Even with sales of 10,000 copies, a single-player game's profit was a mere RMB 40,000. The root cause was piracy, with pirated copies outnumbering legitimate ones by a ratio of 20:1 during the peak of single-player games.

Despite lowering prices, the low cost of pirated games still drove players towards them, plunging legitimate game developers into a severe profitability crisis.

With the rise of the internet, single-player games faced increasingly limited survival space. Developers faced a choice: continue making single-player games or transition to online games.

Most single-player game developers chose the latter path, transforming into internet game companies for survival and growth. After entering the internet era, online games evolved into two distinct business models: channel-centric and item-based payment.

Since then, China's electronic gaming skill tree has almost entirely focused on online games.

Shanda Network's "Mir 2" was a typical example of the channel-centric model. By partnering directly with internet cafe owners, Shanda bypassed intermediaries and significantly increased profits, making "Mir 2" the first phenomenal game of the internet era. The item-based payment model found success in Giant Network's "Zhan Guo Zhi Chuang" (Conquer Online), where players could purchase in-game items to save time, significantly boosting revenue. Free players became accessories to paying players, enhancing their gaming experience.

This led to the formation of a consumer habit among domestic players, who were willing to buy in-game skins and items but hesitant to pay high prices for 3A games. This entrenched consumption habit made developing 3A games in China particularly challenging for developers.

Since 2010, smartphone growth has been driven primarily by smart devices, prompting many game companies to shift towards mobile gaming. In 2015, Tencent's mobile game "Honor of Kings" exploded in popularity, dominating the market and gradually erasing domestic 3A games.

While "Bright Memory" in 2019 and "Genshin Impact" in 2020 reignited hope for domestic 3A games to some extent, the true breakthrough came on August 20, 2020, when Game Science Studio first released a 13-minute gameplay demo of "Black Myth: Wukong" on Bilibili, soaring to the top of Bilibili's trending list within two hours and amassing over ten million views within 24 hours.

Domestic 3A games were reborn.

In "Journey to the West: Reloaded," there's a dialogue between Xuanzang and Fahming that goes:

Xuanzang says, "What I want to learn, you cannot teach me." The monks gasp in surprise, and Fahming struggles to maintain his composure.

"What is it that you wish to learn?" Fahming asks, regaining his composure.

Xuanzang looks up at the changing clouds and says, "I want the sky to no longer obscure my vision, the earth to no longer bury my heart, all beings to understand my intentions, and all buddhas to vanish into thin air!"

Many Chinese gamers see "Black Myth: Wukong" as a beacon of hope for domestic 3A games, hoping it will "cause all the buddhas to vanish into thin air!" However, with foreign giants dominating the console gaming market and domestic major manufacturers still entrenched in online, mobile, and casual games, how many entrepreneurs or developers dare to risk five or ten years developing a game whose overall sales might not even match a fraction of "Honor of Kings"'s revenue?

ND

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