A game developed in China and supported by Tencent Holdings Ltd. has quickly risen to become the fourth most popular title ever on Steam within hours of its release, marking a significant milestone in the gaming industry.
“Black Myth: Wukong,” which is an action-adventure game inspired by the legendary Monkey King, saw over 1.4 million concurrent players on Steam shortly after its global launch on Tuesday. This impressive figure surpassed the popularity of highly anticipated single-player games such as “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Elden Ring,” according to data from SteamDB. The game positioned itself just below “Dota 2” and “Lost Ark” in terms of peak concurrent player counts.
The game’s successful launch may signal a positive shift in China’s estimated $40 billion gaming market, which has faced extensive regulatory challenges in recent years. This summer has seen a notable influx of major launches, including Tencent’s “DnF Mobile,” NetEase Inc.’s “Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile,” and indie studio Mihoyo’s “ZZZ.” Developed by Game Science, based in Hangzhou, Wukong stands out as China’s most prominent PC launch to date.
The game’s release drew substantial attention mainly because it was fully developed by a local studio, unlike many other high-profile titles backed by Tencent. While Tencent holds an investment in Game Science and manages its publication on the domestic WeGame platform, SteamDB does not track that service.
“This might encourage more AAA game development for PC and consoles,” noted Vey-Sern Ling, managing director at UBP. “Chinese regulators might also be more supportive of such game development aimed at export.”
Although Tencent’s stock remained stable in Hong Kong, shares of smaller companies connected to the game surged. Huayi Brothers Media Corp. saw its stock rise by the 20% limit in Shenzhen, largely due to its minimal indirect stake in Game Science, while Citic Press Corp. also jumped by the same limit amid reports of potential product releases related to Wukong.
In China, the game created a buzz unseen in the gaming industry for years, quickly topping trends on the microblogging platform Weibo. Local coffee chain Luckin Coffee issued an apology after running out of game posters offered with purchases of iced Americanos.
“The game’s success highlights that Chinese developers possess the high-end capabilities needed for developing AAA games and can compete globally with Western studios,” stated Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners.
In addition to being available on Sony’s PlayStation 5, Wukong features intense combat reminiscent of FromSoftware’s renowned Dark Souls series. Having been in development since 2018, it is seen as China’s most prominent effort to create a major-budget PC-console game that could make an international impact. Previous successful Chinese titles have primarily been in the mobile sector, such as Mihoyo’s “Genshin Impact.”
Major Chinese review platforms, including IGN China, awarded Wukong a perfect score of 10 out of 10 just before its release, while global critics gave favorable, albeit slightly lower ratings, mentioning some gameplay and translation issues.
The founders of Game Science, including Feng Ji, previously worked at Tencent before establishing their own studio. Tencent invested in the startup through a 5% stake in 2021, as recorded on the corporate registration site Qichacha.
On Monday, China’s official news agency Xinhua aired a 30-minute documentary detailing how Game Science developed its flagship product, featuring interviews with the production team. Another article by Xinhua commended Wukong for its detailed representation of cultural landmarks, such as historic temples.
“We embody the simple love everyone has for this country and this nation,” Feng stated in the documentary interview.