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'Black Myth: Wukong' breaks records

Translate from : 'Black Myth: Wukong' slår rekorder

The Chinese video game "Black Myth: Wukong" has taken the gaming world by storm, with over 10 million copies sold across all platforms, developer Game Science announced. Considered the first Chinese-developed "Triple-A" game, "Black Myth: Wukong" topped the "most played games" list on Steam, a leading gaming platform, just one hour after its debut.

Game Science revealed that the game's peak number of concurrent players across all platforms exceeded 3 million. "Black Myth: Wukong" is inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." The story follows the adventures of a monk and his three disciples, focusing on Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King known for his supernatural powers and quirky nature.

With the first weekend over, industry insiders expect game sales to continue to rise. Goldman Sachs had previously estimated that "Black Myth: Wukong" could achieve sales of 12 million copies on Steam, generating over 3 billion yuan (about $420 million) in revenue. In an optimistic scenario, the game could reach 20 million units sold, with revenues exceeding 5 billion yuan.

"Triple-A" games, typically defined as "A lot of money, A lot of time and A lot of resources," are in a market dominated by developers from countries such as Japan, the United States and France. Pan Helin, a member of an expert committee under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said the game's launch has boosted consumption in related sectors and increased interest in traditional Chinese culture.

Celebrated for its rich cultural heritage and modern gaming aesthetic, "Black Myth: Wukong" has become a sensation that goes beyond just gaming circles. Its unprecedented success has even boosted the stock prices of some companies and stimulated tourism in Shanxi province, one of the main filming locations for the game.

Although most players are from China, the game's popularity is quickly spreading worldwide. Some enthusiastic fans have even compiled over 200 pages of background material to help international players understand the story's deep cultural roots.

"The global spread of gaming culture is often driven by curiosity and a sense of mystery, two of the most powerful forms of attraction," said Yu Ranxing, co-founder of Game Science. "We hope to show that Chinese games can also achieve world-class standards through our efforts," Yu said.

China's gaming market is evolving toward more diversified competition, and the industry is undergoing a period of growth and transformation, which Yu described as an "unusual opportunity."

China is the largest game market in the world, with sales revenue exceeding 300 billion yuan in 2023. According to an industry report, the sales revenue of the Chinese game market reached 147.3 billion yuan in the first half of 2024, an increase of 2.08 percent compared to the previous year, with the number of users in China reaching a record high of 674 million.