August 20, the golden cudgel pierces the earth

"Fake players are still at work, real fans are ready to face their destiny!"

At 10 a.m. on August 20, this somewhat tongue-in-cheek phrase was everywhere—on Baidu Tieba, entertainment forums, WeChat groups and other Chinese social media platforms, especially in places frequented by young people. For many single-player game enthusiasts, this day is set to go down in history, as it marks the official release of China's first 3A game, Black Myth: Wukong. 3A/AAA/Triple-A is a buzzword used to classify video games which typically have higher development and marketing budgets than other tiers of games. Just as China brands compete with global giants in everything from smartphones to EVs, it is now challenging the best gaming development houses.

On August 20, Beijing time, the Black Myth: Wukong game officially launched. Source: official Wukong website.

For many Chinese fans, the criteria for judging this game has expanded beyond just "Is it awesome?" The longing for a Chinese 3A title, national cultural symbols, and cultural confidence all play a role. With such high expectations surrounding the game, even Feng Ji, the CEO of the game's producer, Game Science, admitted, "This game carries a lot of people's genuine love for our country and nation. I've been troubled by it for four years myself."

Mr. Feng Ji, CEO of Game Science, has openly discussed the immense pressure he faced during media appearances and has shared his thoughts on Weibo. Images are from Weibo.

In the six and a half years of development since its project launch in February 2018, Black Myth: Wukong doesn’t seem like an unusually long time for a 3A game, especially when compared to other top-tier titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, which took 8-10 years to develop. However, given the relatively late start of Chinese game development, with common challenges in experience and technology, it’s remarkable that the team managed to bring the globally renowned IP of Sun Wukong to life through such a high-quality game in this timeframe.

Currently, the game is being widely discussed and shared by media, game streamers, enthusiasts, and ordinary people alike. Images are from Bilibili, Weibo, and Zhihu.

From an actual gameplay perspective, the game has indeed lived up to players' expectations and can be considered "tailor-made" for Chinese gamers. It features high-quality graphics and strong combat mechanics, with everything from dialogue, character design, item design and menu options presented in Chinese. There’s even a substantial amount of classical Chinese literature and well-known ancient myths woven into the game, showcasing the team's meticulousness and enthusiasm. Even though I’ve played other 3A titles like GTA and Call of Duty series, I found myself unable to blink during the first hour of playing it, fearing I might miss even a second of details.

Game scene is quite impressive. Images are from Bilibili.

The game's impact has spread globally with impressive force. According to Steam, within less than four hours of the game’s pre-download becoming available, Steam's bandwidth usage surged to a peak of 70Tbps, setting a new record. By 10 PM Beijing time on August 20, the game was leading global pre-sale rankings on Steam, topping the charts in 12 regions including the United States, Singapore, Canada, and Italy.

The latest bandwidth record on Steam is 70Tbps. The image is from Baidu

The game's impact is also evident in the Chinese stock market. On August 20, the A-share gaming and media sector saw a significant increase, with the game's publisher, Zhejiang Publishing Media, hitting its daily price limit. The stock of Huayi Brothers, the major shareholder behind the game's distributor, has risen nearly 50% since August 14.

According to the National Game Bestsellers list, by August 20 Beijing time, Black Myth: Wukong had surpassed 4.5 million copies sold across all platforms, with total sales exceeding ¥1.5 billion ($210m). This means the game recouped its development costs on the very day of its release. Not only did the IGN China award the game a perfect score, but this event also offers new hope for the Chinese gaming industry.

Data from the national sales charts reveal that Black Myth: Wukong had presold 1.2 million copies, earning ¥390 million ($55m) across all platforms in the first half of 2024, securing the top spot and far surpassing the next two games, at least two months before the game even launched! IGN China also awarded the game a perfect 10/10 rating. Images are from Sina Weibo and Baidu.

Remember the game's producer, Feng Ji, once mentioned on Weibo that the many decisions made during development could be boiled down to one phrase: "Just give it a try." Although it’s hard to measure the challenges the R&D team faced, history will remember the sweat of those who were once misunderstood, and each relentless effort is a testament to greatness.