'Black Myth: Wukong' succeeds in creating a god, but who will ascend to the 'immortal ranks', and who will be the 'monster' defeated?

Unsurprisingly, 'Black Myth: Wukong' has exploded in popularity!

On the first day of its release, related topics quickly topped trending lists on mainstream Chinese social media platforms like WeChat, Douyin, Kuaishou, Bilibili, Weibo, Zhihu, and Baidu Tieba, with the number of concurrent players exceeding 2.2 million.

Image source: Douyin trending search

This wave has also reached overseas, with Polish game developer CD PROJEKT leaving a comment of 'awesome' on Bilibili, and prominent gaming media outlets like PC Gamer and Kotaku sharing their support for 'Monkey King' on Twitter.

Commercially, 'Black Myth: Wukong' sold over 3 million copies on Steam on its first day of release, totaling over 4.5 million copies across Steam, WeGame, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation platforms, generating over 1.5 billion yuan in sales.

The long-standing claim that 'China cannot produce globally recognized AAA games' has been proven wrong.

Luckin Coffee's collaboration sold out instantly, causing a system overload that even surprised the company's CGO, disproving the notion that 'men have less purchasing power than dogs.'

With the game featuring famous landmarks such as Xiaoxitian Temple in Xi County, Sichuan, and Hangzhou's Lingyin Temple, official media outlets rushed to report on these locations, with tourism boards from Beijing, Shanxi, Chongqing, and Anhui vying to showcase their scenic spots, effectively dispelling negative rumors about the game.

After six years of development, 'Black Myth: Wukong' has achieved both fame and fortune on its journey to retrieve the Buddhist sutras. However, amidst the accolades, controversies and concerns are brewing beneath the surface.

01 Everyone wants a piece of the 'Monkey Gold'

Collaboration mania, A-share companies jumping on the bandwagon, tourist attractions booming

Beyond Luckin Coffee's repeat of its soy sauce latte phenomenon, collaborations with 'Black Myth: Wukong' have left consumers spoilt for choice.

Hisense launched a collaborative flagship TV series, Lenovo's Legion offered a Y9000P custom edition, Nubia Red Magic unveiled a new gaming tablet, and MSI, Gigabyte, Colorful, Zotac, Galax, Inno3D, Zotac, and Gainward have all released graphics cards featuring the game's branding, with these tech brands experiencing explosive sales.

Didi Qingju launched collaborative shared bikes with Cloud Somersault designs, adding a playful touch to the vehicles, while Jicox Industrial unveiled a 'Heart Monkey' clothing line, blending classic quotes from the original story with minimalist elegance.

However, collaborative brands for 'Black Myth' remain limited, with only Luckin Coffee and Didi Qingju among mass consumer goods. The hype around Wukong 'wreaking havoc' on brands hasn't materialized as expected.

The stock market, always keen to sniff out IP economic trends, hasn't missed out on this opportunity.

On August 2, Huayi Brothers' share price surged 19% due to its 5.17% stake in Hero Entertainment, which indirectly invested in Game Science early on. Since pre-orders began, the share price has risen 43% cumulatively. Other companies involved in publishing, content review, and supplying services related to 'Black Myth: Wukong' have also seen significant gains.

Xinxunda, China Tours International, Qitian Technology, and Hangzhou Hi-Tech have seen their shares soar, while Xunyou Technology, Shunwang Technology, ZQ Game, and Gigabit Games have followed suit. The A-share gaming sector has enjoyed a collective boost.

Surprisingly, Shanxi Expressway has also benefited, as many scenes and structures in 'Black Myth' are inspired by Shanxi's ancient architecture and cultural heritage. Of the 36 filming locations nationwide, Shanxi boasts 27, including Wutai Mountain's Foguang Temple, Nanchan Temple, and Jinge Temple. These scattered spots are ideal for self-drive tours, contributing to Shanxi Expressway's surge in popularity.

According to Ctrip data, within two hours of 'Black Myth's' release, search interest in Shanxi increased by over 10% compared to the previous day, with cities like Datong and Shuozhou seeing a 20% week-on-week growth in search traffic.

Over the past year, due to 'Black Myth: Wukong's' extensive filming in Shanxi, ticket sales at Xiaoxitian Temple have surged 236% year-on-year during the summer holidays, while Jincheng's Yuhuang Temple has seen record-high visitor numbers, with 40% of visitors drawn by the game.

According to Tianyancha, even the game's protagonist's name, 'Tianmingren,' was trademarked in December last year, with two registrations in the advertising and office supplies categories successfully approved, highlighting a minor oversight by Game Science.

Image source: Tianyancha

'Black Myth' has triumphed both in terms of global acclaim and commercial value. Yet amidst the celebrations, troubling signs are emerging.

02

Controversies and grey areas behind the 'Monkey Fever'

Scroll through live streaming sections on Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili, and you'll find a black monkey jumping around everywhere, regardless of the media outlet or streamer.

At 10 am sharp, streams commence, with viewers worldwide embracing their destiny.

Official media outlets like Sichuan Observation, Chongqing Daily, Jiangxi News, and Yunnan Daily have joined in the fun, with Xiaomi's China Marketing VP Wang Teng tweeting about downloading the game first thing in the morning, sparking heated discussions and even a trending topic on Weibo.

Veteran gamer streamer Fengxingyun joked about confronting his destiny at almost 50, while Go player Zhan Ying suffered multiple defeats at the hands of beginner enemies, earning the title of 'first death' on the internet.

Image source: Douyin live stream screenshot

Gaming website Gamersky solved players' navigation woes by releasing a hand-drawn map marking treasure chests, side quests, and boss locations, earning praise from the community. Meanwhile, game modifier Fenglingyueying swiftly introduced 25 custom modifications, drawing tens of thousands of viewers with its 'one-hit kill' feature.

'Black Myth: Wukong' has also ignited a frenzy on e-commerce platforms. On August 20, Steam activation codes for the game were available on e-commerce sites, with prices ranging from 263 yuan for the standard edition to 315 yuan for the deluxe edition on STOUGAME's official store on Pinduoduo, both nearly sold out with over 2,500 sales, generating over 600,000 yuan in revenue.

Image source: Pinduoduo screenshot

Taobao search trends show 143 related products, including official activation codes, PS5 consoles, NVIDIA graphics cards, and Luckin Coffee collaborations, with weekly search volume up 1,379%. 'Steam key' sales surpassed 30,000 within a week at the 'Zhenxin Electric Games' store, though such purchases carry the risk of account bans.

Image source: Taobao screenshot

Renting 'Black Myth: Wukong' accounts has also become a business on e-commerce platforms, with prices ranging from 30 yuan for 4 hours to 50 yuan for 10 hours, and multiple listings showing imminent sell-outs.

On Xianyu, new game guides start at 1 yuan, while offline accounts, modifiers, and activation codes sell for up to 58 yuan. Limited edition coffee cups and bags from the Luckin Coffee collaboration, originally priced at 1,998 yuan, are now fetching 4,000-5,000 yuan on the secondary market.

Image source: Xianyu screenshot

Debates surrounding 'Black Myth: Wukong' rage across Chinese social media.

From Yin Zheng and Wan Qian being boycotted by female fans for supporting the game to feuds between MiHoYo and 'Black Myth' fans, controversies persist.

Weibo user LUDAWEI, claiming to be a senior concept designer for Honor of Kings, posted three tweets about 'Black Myth: Wukong,' complaining about fans critiquing his early works in comparison to those of the game's artists. The comments section erupted into heated arguments involving Honor of Kings' graphics.

Image source: Weibo screenshot

This tense atmosphere stems from the game's heavy burden. Externally, it carries the hope of promoting traditional culture and elevating Chinese AAA games to world-class status. Internally, it aims to reshape the domestic gaming industry and fill the void of AAA titles. From the start, it faced an 'all or nothing' scenario.

As a disruptive force in the gaming market, 'Black Myth: Wukong' challenges domestic heavyweights like Tencent, NetEase, and MiHoYo while competing globally with studios like CD Projekt RED, Kojima Productions, and Quantic Dream. Standing out too much can make it difficult to find a stable footing.

The game's current predicament eerily echoes its opening narrative: 'I, the Monkey King, possess divine powers but seek only to roam the Huaguo Mountain. In the eyes of Heaven, this is provocation, so they offered me immortality to save face. When I refused, they destroyed my home. Now, I must shatter the heavens with my strength and break their rules.'