Does ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ conquer the game world with its free spirit or China’s soft power?
Screenshot from the video “Black Myth: Wukong – Official Final Trailer” via IGN's YouTube channel. Fair use.
“Black Myth: Wukong,” China’s first high-production budget AAA video game, which took over six years to develop, was finally released on August 20, 2024. Instantly, it conquered the game world with 10 million copies sold in three days and a revenue of USD 852 million generated in two weeks. At its peak, it reached 3 million concurrent players across PC and PlayStation platforms.
The independent action role-playing game (RPG) was developed by a medium-sized company, Science Game Company, based in Shenzhen. The game’s content is inspired by the Chinese classic “Journey to the West.” The task of the game player, in the form of a monkey called “Destined One,” is to revive Wukong or the Monkey King by recollecting six scattered relics that contain Wukong’s six senses.
Upon its release, the exquisite visual design of bosses and landscapes, as well as the mystical expression of Zen and Buddhist teachings embedded in the game’s plot, have attracted heated discussion among domestic and overseas game players.
Promoting China's soft power
While the Chinese government is known for its disagreeable attitude towards the gaming industry with policies that restrict the amount of time children can spend on video games, this time, the official tone has changed.
China’s spokeswoman Mao Ning said Wukong “showcases the attractiveness of traditional Chinese culture,” State-owned Xinhua News Agency described the game as a “phenomenal product,” and China Daily said it “acts as a bridge in cultural storytelling, introducing elements of a treasured Chinese narrative to a global audience.” Some, thereby, believe that the state agenda of promoting China’s soft power also contributes to the popularity of the Black Myth.
Reportedly, the game bases its virtual landscapes and architecture on 36 natural and architectural sites in China, among which 27 are located in Shanxi province. On social media, many China-related accounts are using the game to promote tourism:
Some China observers also raised their eyebrows as the game company issued a guideline to streamers telling them to avoid certain topics during streaming:
It is inevitable that the Chinese company must abide by Chinese law and practice self-censorship to survive. Yet, the guideline's hostility towards feminism has triggered a backlash against the sexist culture within the gaming industry.
On the other hand, in mainland China, many game players still see Science Game Company's founder and Black Myth’s creator, Feng Ji, as an idealist with a free spirit.
Confront destiny and embrace a free spirit
Feng was a game addict throughout his school years before he joined the gaming industry in 2004. Then, he became critical of the sector’s monetization model. After working in the industry for three years and in response to the Chinese government’s anti-online game addiction policy, he wrote a long blog post, “Who kills our games?” addressing the problem of attention economy of the gaming industry:
Why are developers moving away from players? The fundamental reason is that capital has alienated the original intention of the production of online games, which is regarded as a constant income-generating service business. All efforts center on “sustaining profit” and “keeping the users spending hundreds of hours.” However, the original intention [of gaming] should be “creating something interesting.”… [Developers] are cultivating a new kind of game-planning mentality, which is not centered on how to produce games that are “full of fun and keep the players happy,” but instead on how to design a successful internet trap [that can catch the players].
After working for established gaming companies, including Tencent, for 10 years, Feng founded Science Game Company with a like-minded team in 2014. In 2018, months before China’s Ministry of Education announced new regulations to limit the amount of time minors spend on online games, Feng and his team ventured into the development of an AAA game even though the company was not fully equipped to host the project.
To keep the project running, the company released an official trailer of the new games in August 2020. It went viral, and money and talent followed. Black Myth: Wukong was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows four years later. The game can be played both remotely and offline.
Given the Chinese context, Feng Ji and his team made an independent choice that led to the birth of China’s first-ever big-budget AAA game. It caters to China’s desire for soft power while circumventing policy restrictions by enabling offline playing.
Moreover, the game's plot is inspired by the classic novel Journey to the West, in which Wukong represents a rebellious spirit, though tamed by Buddhist teachings throughout the journey. Such free spirit is embedded in the game as the story starts with Wukong's refusal to accept Buddhahood after his pilgrimage. Before he is sealed in stone by Erlang, a warrior god of heaven, Wukong injects his six senses into six relics and the Destined One has to recollect the relics to revive Wukong.
Hong Kong game player Ko Lap highlighted the game’s rebellious spirit on Facebook:
I was shocked by the story plot of Black Myth Wukong!
Any creature which stands against the heavenly authority, will be regarded as yao [demonish creature] and executed by the heavenly court; if a yao submits to the heavenly court by helping the authority to suppress or kill other yao, it gains the chance to be ranked as an immortal…
Wukong is powerless to fight against the Heavenly Court, between obedience and freedom, he chooses to die at the hands of Erlang. Wukong believes that although he is dead, his free will will live on, and the person who inherits his free will is called the Destined One, i.e. the game player. To play the game, you have to collect all the scattered six senses, as the legend says that this can revive Wukong. The last of Wukong's six sense is the “Will,” which stands for Wukong’s will for freedom against the oppressive power. In fact, the Destined one himself is the 6th sense. In order to awaken the last sense, one must defeat Erlang and defeat Wukong who has lost his will, so that Wukong and the Destined One can be merged together as one… In other words, the creator wants you to inherit Wukong's “will” and live it out in reality…
Though the game company wants to limit the discussion to the players’ gaming experience and avoid political discussion with its guidelines, Wukong has been released, and nothing can prevent it from serving as an open text for all kinds of readings and interpretations. This is where the soft power of Chinese classics lies.
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