Video game "Black Myth: Wukong" receives positive responses from int'l community

A gamer watches a promotional video for Black Myth: Wukong, a game developed by Chinese company Game Science, in Beijing on Aug 20, 2024, after the game was released worldwide. PAI GU/CHINA NEWS SERVICE

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Video game "Black Myth: Wukong," deeply rooted in Chinese culture, has received positive reactions from the international community after its release on Tuesday.

"Black Myth: Wukong" is the "first full-fledged game from China that was developed for consoles," Hideki Yasuda, a senior analyst at Toyo Securities in Tokyo, was quoted by Nikkei Asia as saying on Tuesday.

"'Black Myth: Wukong' ... was being played on Wednesday by 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam, a major online gaming platform, a day after its release," Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The video game, inspired by the ancient Chinese tale "Journey to the West," surpassed the popularity of other much-hyped single-player titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring, according to data tracker SteamDB.

Pre-sales, which began in June, had reached 400 million yuan (56 million U.S. dollars) as of Tuesday when the game was launched, Reuters' reports said, citing data from Citi.

"The Chinese regulators may also be encouraged and be more supportive of such game development for export," UBP managing director Vey-Sern Ling told Bloomberg.

The Time Of India newspaper reported Tuesday that the newly released game has taken the gaming world by storm, breaking records on its launch day.

"This early success highlights the game's widespread appeal and the anticipation that had built up since it was first teased in 2020," said the report.

"Overall, the success of 'Black Myth: Wukong' signals a new era for Chinese video games on the global stage, showcasing the potential for high-budget, culturally rich titles from China to captivate audiences worldwide," it added.

"The success of the game shows that Chinese game developers have high-end development capabilities for AAA games and can compete with Western studios on the global stage," Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.