The money-making ability of local Chinese IPs has been proven in a game.

Unveiled on August 20, 'Black Myth: Wukong' has become the undisputed 'King of Topics' on various social media platforms in recent days. Besides being China's first 3A game, the sales 'myth' it created has also shaken the market.

According to statistics from the national game bestseller list, the game has sold over 3 million copies on Steam. Adding sales from WeGame, Epic, and PlayStation platforms, total sales exceeded 4.5 million copies on the first day of official release, generating over 1.5 billion yuan in revenue. The related merchandise it drives is also performing remarkably well, with store staff stating that "five customer service representatives can't keep up with the demand."

Data from Taobao shows that search volume for related products, including 'genuine activation codes,' 'golden cudgel,' PS5 consoles, NVIDIA graphics cards, and Luckin Coffee collaborations, increased by 1379% within a week.

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'Wukong's' 'magical powers' stir up the tourism market

The influence of 'Black Myth: Wukong' has also extended directly to the tourism industry, with Shanxi being the biggest beneficiary. This major production game selected 36 ancient architectural scenic spots as game backgrounds during its development process, 27 of which are located in Shanxi. The highly realistic game scenes have amazed players while inspiring a new trend of visiting these locations in person.

Netizens have urged Shanxi's tourism bureau to leverage this momentum to promote its products and activities, urging them to seize this "enormous" opportunity.

In an interview with relevant media, the relevant person in charge of Shanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism stated that this "two-way rush" between virtuality and reality began four years ago. Currently, Shanxi is fully embracing this "enormous wealth" in the tourism industry by innovating in services, business models, and gameplay to turn the "Wukong Effect" into long-term traffic.

According to Qunar data, as of 9:22 am on August 21, search interest for Taiyuan, Shanxi on their platform increased by 10% compared to the previous week and 40% compared to the previous hour, continuing to climb. In August, search interest for Shanxi increased by 1.2 times compared to July. The top 10 most popular scenic spots in Shanxi are: Yungang Grottoes, Mount Wutai, Pingyao Ancient City, Ying County Wooden Pagoda, Shanxi Jinci Museum, Hukou Falls, Yanmen Pass, Taiyuan Botanical Garden, Hanging Temple, and Qiaojia Courtyard.

Data from Tuniu shows that on the day of the game's launch (August 20), search interest for Shanxi destinations on Tuniu increased by over 20% compared to the previous day, with Datong seeing an increase of over 10%. During the summer, Taiyuan, Datong, Linfen, Xinzhou, and Shuozhou were popular tourist destinations, with visitors mainly from Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Guangzhou.

According to Mafengwo data, the game's popularity has not only boosted Shanxi but also other destinations. Anyue Stone Carvings, which topped Mafengwo's "China's New Secrets" list, saw a 109% increase in popularity, Dali's Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas increased by 100%, and Chongqing's Dazu Rock Carvings surged by 433%. The game's stunning graphics have clearly captured people's imagination.

Among the many cities, netizens from Huai'an, Jiangsu, also hope to seize this opportunity. When 'Black Myth: Wukong' gained popularity, they left a message on the official website of Huai'an Municipal Government, stating that Huai'an is the birthplace of 'Journey to the West' and the hometown of Wu Cheng'en, the author. The local Western Journey Theme Park is the first amusement park in China themed around 'Journey to the West.' Therefore, Huai'an should proactively contact the game's developer, Game Science, to discuss cooperation and capitalize on this trend.

In response to this suggestion, the Huai'an Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism replied on August 20th that the Huai'an Western Journey Theme Park is actively contacting the game company to secure relevant cooperative activities.

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Is there a cure for the local IP 'pain' of theme parks?

In fact, China, with its millennia-old history and culture, has struggled to develop locally sourced IPs with strong monetization capabilities, posing a significant challenge for domestic theme parks. How to create and cultivate China's own Disneyland or Universal Studios has been a daydream and goal for many domestic theme park enterprises.

However, the reality is that few domestic theme parks have successfully cultivated their IPs with significant influence and monetization capabilities. Among them, Huaqiang Fangte's 'Boonie Bears' IP is the closest to Disney in terms of IP-to-park model, becoming a prominent feature of its offline theme parks and a powerful attraction for children.

However, its greater monetization value lies in film production. According to official data, the box office revenue of 'Boonie Bears: The Big Shrink', the tenth anniversary film in the series released in February 2024, exceeded 2 billion yuan, setting a new record for the series.

The popularity of 'Black Myth: Wukong' offers more than just traffic and potential collaboration opportunities for theme park enterprises. It also provides insights into how to tell Chinese stories from a global perspective, showcase Chinese culture, and effectively promote globally to attract attention.

As Feng Ji, producer of Game Science, the developer of 'Black Myth: Wukong,' stated, 'Wukong' is blazing a trail that no one has taken before. It carries the core of Chinese stories while also adopting an international expression style, making it difficult to technically define its genre.

Culture knows no borders. After creating this game based on Chinese mythology and receiving strong domestic and international responses, Feng Ji reflected on how to tell Chinese stories well: "All products that ultimately succeed internationally must first achieve success in their home market. If your game cannot gain recognition in culturally similar markets, you cannot expect it to break into international markets."

Returning to the theme park market, how can project designers focused on local IPs draw inspiration from the success of 'Black Myth: Wukong' if they aspire to create theme park enterprises with a global reach?

Industry analysts have noted that the success of international theme park IPs partly stems from their growth and companionship over time and the spiritual significance they hold. This combination gives IP-centric theme parks the value of 'fulfilling dreams,' motivating people to pay for experiences that resonate with them on a deeper level. To better commercialize and enhance the profitability of IPs in Chinese theme parks, it is imperative to cultivate and delve into IPs with such companionship and spiritual resonance.

Lin Huanjie, President of the China Theme Park Research Institute, has also stated, "The development path of theme parks must follow the IP route. Without this route, they can only be considered amusement parks. Building an IP path is a necessary process for the development of theme parks. Without a good IP, there is no brand, no appeal, and ultimately, no visitors."

Fortunately, although the road ahead for theme parks remains long and challenging, there are increasingly successful cases in anime, film, games, and even science fiction that retell traditional Chinese cultural stories from innovative perspectives. The idea of building a Chinese version of a 'The Wandering Earth' theme park has sparked excitement among netizens, who have eagerly shared their ideas, drawn blueprints, and even debated locations.

The enthusiasm of netizens and the growing number of successful storytelling cases serve as the driving force and cornerstone for future locally sourced IP theme parks in China, akin to Disneyland's influence, to move from dream to reality. Ultimately, the concerted efforts and collaboration of relevant theme park enterprises will be crucial.