Legendary: Black Myth: Wukong has only been out for a week and is breaking all kinds of records. It now holds the Steam record for most concurrent players on a single-player game. It sold 10 million units within three days of release, making it the fastest-selling game ever, leading to a console buying surge in China that the country has never seen.
Highly anticipated and hyped action RPG Black Myth: Wukong is breaking records and taking names. The game launched on August 20 and sold 10 million copies worldwide within three days, smashing all expectations and making it one of the fastest-selling games in history. It also broke Steam’s concurrent single-player record with over 2.2 million players in its first 24 hours.
The title sold like hotcakes in China, likely due to the game’s cultural significance in Chinese literature and mythology. The game is based on the 16th-century novel Journey to the West, which, in turn, was based on the 7th-century East Asian myth of Sun Wukong – the Monkey King.
The Financial Times points out that PC and mobile gaming dominate China’s gaming market, with consoles making up only 15 percent of the gaming sector. However, Wukong’s release triggered a surge in PlayStation 5 sales, even though the game simultaneously launched on PC.
According to reports from one of China’s largest retailers, Alibaba Group, PS5 sales more than doubled on its platform in the week leading up to Wukong’s release. The sales surge triggered a spike in Sony stock, rocketing shares about 7.5 percent between Tuesday and Wednesday and up 18 percent in the last year. This spurt puts Sony on track to meet its 2024 growth projections.
China’s overall gaming industry is on the rise. Domestic game revenues rose 13 percent, bringing in over $43 billion US in 2023. The country’s gaming demographic also expanded to a record 668 million players.
Chinese developer Game Science designed Black Myth: Wukong as an ARPG. It combines Chinese myth with a unique style of martial arts gameplay and roleplaying mechanics. Players will use a magical staff that can change size during combat. The weapon is based on the one Ruyi Jingu Bang uses in Journey to the West.
The protagonist, The Destined One, is an anthropomorphic monkey but is not the Monkey King of legend. He is actually from a tribe of monkeys looking for the lost artifacts that can revive Sun Wukong, who, according to myth, was trapped in an egg-shaped stone that was broken into six pieces and scattered across China.
While I have not played the game yet, it has been on my radar since Game Science revealed it in 2020. The game started on Unreal Engine 4, but the team switched to UE5 in 2021. The project was a labor of love and the studio didn’t expect to turn a profit because of the high development costs. Considering the initial sales figures, the Game Science crew is undoubtedly happy with the results of its dedication.
Check out our Black Myth: Wukong benchmarks and optimization guide if you’re considering picking it up on PC. I look forward to playing it on PlayStation 5 whenever I finally have some free time.
