Is China’s Monkey King set for global game glory, despite cultural differences?

Black Myth: Wukong’s release this month will take Chinese-developed games to an international level, and a new height of scrutiny

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Black Myth: Wukong has topped US distributor Steam’s “wish list” chart and is enjoying strong pre-orders ahead of its release date in late August. Photo: Game Science

Published: 6:00pm, 4 Aug 2024Updated: 3:08pm, 20 Aug 2024

China’s first triple-A video game Black Myth: Wukong, rooted in the 16th century novel Journey to the West, is slated for release later this month. And, like the literary classic, it has risen above cultural differences to roaring global success.

The action role-playing game has topped US distributor Steam’s “wish list” chart and is enjoying strong pre-orders, with developer Game Science banking on the enduring appeal of its iconic hero, combined with the newest top-tier mechanics.

The game is the latest iteration of the Ming dynasty story of Sun Wukong, which has been repeatedly adapted for film and television – most recently in the Netflix animation The Monkey King (2023) and Disney+ series American Born Chinese (2023).

Hangzhou-based Game Science spent six years developing the game, which is the first in China to bear the industry’s informal triple-A classification, signifying a large-budget, high-profile game produced and distributed by well-known publishers.

Not all of the interest in the game has been positive, with some misgivings expressed at gaming interest website IGN over claims of a misogynistic workplace culture and a demo version’s lack of female characters.

The site’s recent review of the game was largely flattering, calling it “stunningly gorgeous”, “incredibly fluid” and “immensely satisfying”. There will be women in the final game, it added.