Devs and analysts predict Black Myth: Wukong could change games in China - "Wukong is proof a well-made single-player game can be big"
Aug. 20, 2024“This is really only still the beginning of major international titles developed in China”
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Black Myth: Wukonghas landed to absolutely massive success, to the point where it’s now thesecond-biggest Steam game everwhen measured by concurrent player count. Analysts suggest much of that success is coming from China, and some developers reckon this could be the start of a sea change for the Chinese gaming industry.
Simon Carless of analysis group GameDiscoverCo says onTwitterthat the agency’s estimates suggest 88.1% of Black Myth: Wukong owners on Steam are from China. You can back that up by taking a look at the language split of Steam reviews over onSteam Scout, which are currently 90.92% Chinese. It’s still early hours for the Wukong’s launch, but the game’s week-old benchmark tool also features 85.38% Chinese reviews according toSteam Scout.
Even if you eliminate China from the equation, the remaining 10-15% of the sales of a game with over two million concurrent players would still mark a big hit, and indeed, Wukong is a top seller across many regions on Steam. But the implications of Wukong’s success are especially big in China, as the game could open the door for more single-player titles to get the green light from Chinese developers.
Wukong just dethroned Palworld as the second-biggest game in Steam history, and Bucky - community manager for the viral ‘Pokemon with guns’ survival game - says onTwitterif the two titles went head-to-head in a gamer GOTY vote, “I’d vote for Wukong because I think this is the sort of positive change needed in the Chinese gaming world. Wukong is proof a well-made singleplayer game can be big, and not some mobile hybrid with 5,000 variations of microtransactions.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing director Michael ‘Cromwelp’ Douse notes onTwitterthat a localized game that’s popular in China would see “maybe 25-40%” of its players in that region, which makes the “80+%” we’re seeing with Wukong all the more impressive. Douse says “it’s a testament what the region can do to shatter numbers when properly mobilised both regionally and internationally in one big launch.”
Douse adds that “This is really only still the beginning of major international titles developed in China (critically: having the full weight of legal, national publishing behind it as opposed to VPN grey market reliance on West). Will likely see two-three mil peak concurrents if the trend continues.”
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Check out ourBlack Myth: Wukong reviewif you want to know what the fuss is all about.
Path of Exile 2 is dropping loot more generously, but Early Access players are still being bankrupt by the action RPG’s high respec costs: “Why am I being punished for trying out things?”
“We never would have made decisions that are so blatantly not player-focused”: Ex-Dauntless dev “can’t be silent” after an update under the dev’s new owner “gutted the core gameplay and crafting”
8BitDo’s latest Switch controller is perfect for a very specific type of player
