Black Myth: Wukong, an action RPG developed by Chinese studio Game Science, has had an extremely successful launch following its release on August 20, 2024, for PC and PS5. The high sales, particularly within China, reflect the continued industrialization of Chinese game development, the growing global influence of Chinese studios, and shifting consumer preferences in China. Black Myth: Wukong reached over 2.2 million peak concurrent users (PCCU) on Steam within its first 24 hours, making it the most popular single-player game by PCCU in the platform’s history. It also ranks second among all games by PCCU, trailing PUBG which peaked at 3.2 million.
The game, first announced in August 2020, draws heavily from Chinese mythology and is based on the classic novel Journey to the West, featuring Sun Wukong, or “The Monkey King,” as its protagonist. The high-end graphics, transformational (literally) gameplay, and cultural connection resonated strongly with Chinese gamers, with the debut trailer surpassing 55 million views on video platform Bilibili. This made it the most viewed gaming trailer of all time on the platform. The initial interest, ongoing trailer releases and marketing push translated into more than 4 million gamers wishlisting the title on Steam prior to launch. It became the most wishlisted game on the platform in early 2024.
Black Myth: Wukong’s strong performance in China is primarily attributable to continued access to the international version of Steam, which is accessible without a VPN. More than 93% of the 250,000 reviews on Steam are in Simplified Chinese, with an impressive 97% of these reviews being positive. The overwhelming popularity of the game in China was further demonstrated when Steam’s download bandwidth peaked at 79.3Tbps on August 20, with Asia accounting for 82% of this, breaking the previous record set on Cyberpunk 2077’s (51Tbps) launch day in 2020.
The game received positive reviews on Steam from Chinese gamers
The game’s success isn’t confined to digital platforms. Physical editions of the game, including collector’s and deluxe versions, sold out within seconds on JD.com, as more than 700,000 gamers signed up for a chance to purchase the limited set of 30,000 copies. Game Science capitalized on this interest by partnering with brands like Lenovo, to ensure their PC hardware was optimized for the game, and with Luckin Coffee, for on-the-ground activations, including branded merchandise and promotional offers. The buzz around each of these led to increased chatter on social media leading up to launch, with 1.7 billion views on Weibo during the launch day, and the game was even covered by national news programs in China.
Niko Partners has been able to track the success of the title on game live streaming platforms in China using our suite of data tools. According to Niko Partners’ China Games & Streaming Tracker, Black Myth: Wukong was the most watched game on Huya, DouYu, and Bilibili on its release day, surpassing other popular titles such as League of Legends, Honor of Kings and Valorant. According to our Niko Index, the game had 29 million viewers across the 3 platforms on launch day, with Bilibili accounting for around 74% of all viewers. More than $1m was tipped / donated to streamers that played the game on this day. It was a record-breaking launch for a single player game on Chinese game live streaming platforms, surpassing Cyberpunk 2077′s metrics in 2020. The China Games & Streaming Tracker offers a window into black box domestic streaming platforms, to support the games industry in understanding the most popular games, streamers, and overall engagement.
Black Myth: Wukong tops the China Games & Streaming Tracker as the most watched games
The success of Black Myth: Wukong highlights a significant shift in the global video games landscape for both Chinese and non-China based developers.
First, the broader implications of this success cannot be overlooked. It signals that Chinese studios are ready to compete directly with established Western and Japanese developers in the premium AAA space. Game Science’s transition from mobile game development to creating a world-class AAA title, backed by heavyweights like Tencent and Hero Games, is a path that many Chinese game developers are already trying to follow with growing success.
Second, the game’s popularity reflects changing consumer preferences within China. According to Niko Partners 2024 China Gamer Behavior & Market Insights Report , free-to-play games accounted for nearly 90% of total player spending last year with mobile accounting for 68.7% of total spend and over 90% of players. The overturning of the console ban in 2014, access to the international version of Steam, the shift to digital distribution, increased propensity to pay for content, high quality singleplayer & multiplayer game offerings, online connection requirement (which prevents piracy), localized payment methods, and regional pricing have been key drivers of premium game adoption in China. In short, paid games are accounting for a larger share of revenue each year.
Games like Overwatch (2016), one of the first successful premium games in China and which sold over 10 million units, have shown that Chinese players are willing to pay for premium experiences, and Black Myth: Wukong further solidifies this trend. While console has historically remained niche in China, despite the overturning of the console ban in 2014, the PlayStation 5 is selling 2x faster than its predecessor in the country and has become an established platform alongside the Nintendo Switch. A limited time deal on the PlayStation 5 that is running this week has led to a surge in sales for the console that further cements these changing gamer preferences in the market.
In conclusion, Black Myth: Wukong is more than just a one-off success story, it represents the growing capabilities and ambitions of Chinese game development studios and their ability to compete on the global stage. While non-China based developers will need to acknowledge and contend with these new challengers, it also represents an opportunity for collaboration and learning. At the same time, the success of the game as a premium title signals a broader shift in market dynamics within China, and represents an opportunity for non-China based developers to benefit from geographic expansion and existing AA/AAA offerings.
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