As soon as Black Myth: Wukong jumped on the Flying Nimbus in its launch in August, it hasn’t gone back down since. What’s more amazing is that Game Science’s debut AAA title keeps on rising, shattering records and redefining expectations for Chinese-developed titles.
Since its release on August 20, the action RPG has achieved unprecedented success, becoming the most-played single-player game on Steam and helping it set a new concurrent player count record en route to selling well over 18 million copies in just two weeks, as per a Bloomberg report.
To put that into perspective, the only games to have sold as much or more in just as much time if not less are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2022 when it crossed billion dollars in revenue in 10 days, and Grand Theft Auto 5, which accomplished the feat in three days over a decade ago. It has even outpaced the likes of Hogwarts Legacy, which, you could argue, boasts wider appeal across the world. The game has now raked in an estimated $800 million in revenue – more than 1,000% return on its $70 million development budget.
Naturally, the success has encouraged Game Science to double down on Black Myth: Wukong’s development, promising more DLC expansions based on canceled content are coming.
What’s noteworthy about Black Myth: Wukong’s sales is its limited release on PC and PlayStation 5, eschewing the still-popular PS4 market, and controversially, the Xbox platform.
However, Black Myth: Wukong’s success extends beyond mere sales figures. Praised for its ability to blend Chinese mythology with modern gaming sensibilities, it has established a blueprint for a game that can appeal to domestic and international audiences even when tapping into a culturally significant novel like Journey to the West.
Between Stellar Blade and Black Myth: Wukong, there’s enough evidence showing that a AAA title outside of the usual sources, such as Japan, the United States, and Europe, can succeed. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see an adaptation of other mythologies, like in India, for example.
It’s hard to overstate the game’s impact on the Chinese gaming industry. Just like how the game’s protagonist, Sun Wukong, stood mightily against the heavens, it’s defying norms by succeeding in a market dominated by mobile and free-to-play offerings, including Gatcha games and competitive MOBA titles.
The success of Black Myth: Wukong is likely to inspire other Chinese developers to explore big-budget, single-player experiences for PC and console platforms. Sony already has a leg up over everyone else by way of the China Hero Project, among other endeavors. But don’t be surprised if other western video game publishers will try to find a way to eat into China’s massive market.
For now, details about the expansion’s content and pricing remain unclear. However, they’re all but guaranteed to sell well based on the game’s initial reception.
As for when the DLCs for Black Myth: Wukong might arrive, the best bet is after the game becomes available on the Xbox.
Speaking of, rumors of a temporary exclusivity deal between PlayStation and Game Science continue to circulate, although the developers maintain that the delay is due to “optimization issues” that may or may not be caused by the Xbox Series S.
