Black Myth: Wukong is currently the best-selling PC game (computer game) and could become one of the most successful games ever. Where does the Chinese developer's huge success come from?
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| Black Myth: Wukong - Chinese computer game 'transforms' super small businesses into unicorns. (Screenshot) |
The strength of Black Myth: Wukong is that it was available in multiple languages from the start, with English being just one of many possibilities to make it accessible to people in countries with different languages. Since its release on August 20, the game has quickly surpassed previous blockbusters like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring in initial sales by most measures.
Black Myth: Wukong - has even received praise from the world's most famous "game fanatic" - billionaire Elon Musk. In a recent tweet, billionaire Musk called the game "impressive", and attached a photo of himself as Sun Wukong.
Behind Black Myth: Wukong is Shenzhen-based Game Science Studio, once “unknown” when very few people knew about it. Forbes estimates that , shortly after launching its “darling child,” the small studio, founded in 2014, quickly reached a value of $1.8 billion and joined the exclusive club of unicorns - startups valued at over $1 billion.
Founder Feng Ji, 42, a self-confessed gamer, is Game Science's largest individual shareholder, having amassed a fortune of about $770 million from his own stake, according to Forbes estimates.
Black Myth: Wukong made a strong impression on the gaming market by selling 10 million copies on all platforms in just 3 days, with 3 million concurrent players. This is a milestone that most online games today have not been able to reach.
Black Myth: Wukong is on track to sell 35 million copies this year alone, generating more than $1 billion in total revenue. That's "more than enough" to cover the estimated 400 million yuan (about $56 million) it took to develop the game over six years.
Comparing the products of this Chinese publisher with its "seniors" shows clearly how widespread the "blockbuster" Black Myth: Wukong is. For example, Elden Ring , developed by Japan's FromSoftware and won the prestigious Game of the Year award at the 2023 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, has only sold about 25 million copies since its release more than two years ago.
Or the action game Grand Theft Auto , released over a decade ago and one of the most popular gaming franchises ever, said to have sold over 200 million copies worldwide.
But the rise of the once-unknown microenterprise is all the more remarkable given the significant backing it has received, given that Chinese officials have often blamed the country's $46 billion gaming industry for contributing to social ills, such as gaming addiction among young people.
In fact, Chinese gamers prefer mobile group games over PC single-player games — a trend that has led domestic giants like NetEase and Tencent to focus on smartphone products, rather than PCs.
But for the blockbuster game Black Myth: Wukong, things are a little different. Stan Zhao, an analyst at Shanghai-based research firm Blue Lotus Capital Advisors, said Chinese regulators have adjusted their stance on Black Myth: Wukong and given it “unprecedented support” because the plot is based on “Journey to the West,” which is rooted in folklore.
Officials believe that Black Myth: Wukong can help promote traditional Chinese culture abroad. The official Xinhua News Agency recently described the game as "a significant leap onto the global stage."
Even the huge sales of this "blockbuster" game are expected to contribute to boosting consumption and helping the national economy achieve the 2024 economic growth target of about 5% - a target that is currently very difficult.
Not only that, besides spending on this exciting game, fans are tending to visit ancient temples and other locations featured in Black Myth: Wukong, increasing hotel and flight bookings.
Other spin-offs have also been surprisingly successful. Last month, for example, when the Luckin coffee chain featured Monkey King on the packaging of its Americano, its ordering system crashed due to the flood of orders.
"The success of Black Myth: Wukong is actually due to a combination of factors," said Cui Chenyu, senior researcher at Shanghai-based Omdia Research and Consulting. "From the gameplay, to the familiarity and affection people have for Monkey King, to the strong domestic promotion... all play an important role."
As for the developer Game Science, the owner of Black Myth: Wukong, according to local media, the businessman used to skip school to play games and spent most of his savings on Blizzard Entertainment’s mobile game World of Warcraft . Feng Ji also gave up the opportunity to study for a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at China’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology, where he had a bachelor’s degree in the field.
Instead, in 2005, Feng Ji took a job at a small game studio in Shenzhen, a Chinese tech hub. Three years later, he joined Tencent (a leading Chinese tech company, where gaming is a strong suit), leading the development of Asura , a mobile game based on the legend of Sun Wukong. Although it initially received good reviews, the game flopped due to criticism over its price.
Feng then left Tencent and founded Game Science with six former colleagues in 2014.
In 2021, Game Science released a trailer for Black Myth: Wukong , Tencent invested an undisclosed amount to take a 5% stake. Local media estimated the investment at 350 million yuan.
Recently, as the media commented, the fact that Tencent's "boss" Ma Huateng is behind Black Myth: Wukong has just regained his position as the richest man in China, also thanks to the resounding success of this "hot" game.
Black Myth: Wukong has helped Tencent’s stock surge. The revival of China’s gaming industry and pledges of support from Beijing have pushed Tencent’s stock price to levels not seen since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic for internet companies.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/black-myth-wukong-game-may-tinh-trung-quoc-bien-hoa-doanh-nghiep-sieu-nho-vut-lon-thanh-ky-lan-286547.html
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