Hit game boosts sales of related products

People gather on Friday in Milan, Italy, near graffiti based on Black Myth: Wukong, a Chinese-made video game that has gone viral globally after its official release on Tuesday. (ALBERTO LINGRIA/XINHUA)

Personal computers, Sony Play-Station 5 consoles, and other derivative products are flying off the shelves in China, fueled by the overwhelming popularity of the newly launched Chinese-made video game Black Myth: Wukong.

The action role-playing game, developed by Chinese company Game Science and inspired by the 16th-century classic novel Journey to the West, caught the fancy of gamers even before its launch on Tuesday, triggering a buying spree for advanced gaming consoles.

The sales of PS5 surged over 100 percent year-on-year between Aug 13 and Aug 19, according to Alibaba's e-commerce platform Tmall. During the same week, the sales of other electronic products such as laptops, keyboards, and headphones for esports embraced robust year-on-year growth of over 80 percent, Tmall data showed.

Manufacturers of electronic products such as Sony, Ipason, Razer, and Logitech saw their sales increase rapidly after the game was launched, the platform said.

Before Black Myth: Wukong hit the market, domestic coffee chain Luckin Coffee introduced an Americano variant inspired by the game, as well as free limited-edition 3D posters, cup holders, and other accessories upon purchase of coffee combos.

While the special Americano was sold out at many Luckin stores, the company ran out of the 3D posters nationwide within seconds of their launch, almost crashing its online system.

"The buying frenzy demonstrated by male Chinese customers, who form the bulk of the country's video game consumer base, changed our perception about their purchasing power," said Yang Fei, chief growth officer of Luckin Coffee.

Black Myth: Wukong, which allows players to step into the shoes of one of the heroes of the novel, Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, and navigate his epic adventures westward, sold more than 10 million copies globally within three days of its launch.

It became one of the fastest-selling video games of all time, according to VG Insights, a market research platform for video games.

Hailed as China's first Triple-A masterpiece, Black Myth: Wukong boasts excellent visual effects and could serve as a model for other Chinese video games aspiring to keep players across the world glued to their seats, industry experts said.

"The Chinese novel Journey to the West has been widely adapted overseas, and the image of Wukong has been popular for a long time. The game has combined both Chinese and international elements, thereby easily attracting wide global attention," said Li Yang, an associate professor of marketing at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

"Compared with Chinese books, video games boast a higher market penetration rate among young foreign consumers. The game's premium production and authentic English subtitles help accurately convey the emotions of the original novel. It has helped spread Chinese culture and export Chinese games to the world," he added.

China has become the world's largest gaming market, surpassing the United States, and providing ample business growth opportunities for game developers, according to international data company IDC.

The popularity of Black Myth: Wukong has been similar to that of domestic hit films such as The Wandering Earth and Wolf Warrior II, observers said.

As the first high-quality domestically produced game comparable to overseas products is launched, many players will spontaneously promote the game, driven by a sense of national pride, thereby forming a positive word-of-mouth effect, according to Founder Securities.

Shen Yang, 31, a gamer and an office employee in Beijing, said: "Our generation read Journey to the West when we were young. Black Myth: Wukong gives me a sense of familiarity and national pride, as many visuals in the game are inspired by scenic spots in China. The production is also on a par with top-quality overseas games."