Black Myth: Wukong boom plays into China’s desire to lift demand, economy
China’s blockbuster video game Black Myth: Wukong is driving a wave of economic activities at a time of weak domestic demand
China’s blockbuster video game Black Myth: Wukong is driving a wave of economic activities across multiple sectors, creating a “Wukong economy” from tourism to computer accessories amid soft domestic demand.
The success of China’s first AAA premium game, based on the literary figure Monkey King from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, has led to a travel boom in parts of China, increased demand for gaming hardware upgrades and a surge in spending on drinks and wellness services, according to local authorities and businesses.
As of Monday afternoon, sales of Black Myth, which has been developed by Tencent Holdings-backed start-up studio Game Science, topped 15.4 million copies, with revenue from the title on video gaming platform Steam totalling over US$737 million, according to market research company Video Game Insights.
Calling Black Myth a “good-looking and fun-to-play” game, professor Shi Lei from Fudan University’s School of Economics said it represented a cross-cultural demand hotspot on an international scale.
Its success “offers valuable insights into how China should seek and expand new areas, models, and hotspots in cultural consumption”, he said.
