Black Myth: Wukong
2024 video game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black Myth: Wukong[a] is a 2024 action role-playing game developed and published by Game Science. The player assumes the role of the Destined One, a staff-wielding monkey, who embarks on a journey to recover six relics corresponding to Sun Wukong's six senses. The game is inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. It is the first installment in the Black Myth series.
| Black Myth: Wukong | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer | Game Science |
| Publisher | Game Science |
| Director | Feng Ji[1] |
| Producer | Feng Ji[2] |
| Designer | Jiang Baicun[2] |
| Programmer | Zhao Wenyong[2] |
| Artist | Yang Qi[1][2] |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Platforms | |
| Release |
|
| Genre | Action role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Black Myth: Wukong was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on August 20, 2024, and for Xbox Series X/S on August 20, 2025. It received generally favorable reviews from critics and won several accolades including Game of the Year awards. It sold 20 million units in its first month, making it one of the fastest-selling games of all time. Black Myth: Zhong Kui is the next installment in the series.
Gameplay
Black Myth: Wukong is an action role-playing game.[4][5][6][7] It has elements characteristic of the Soulslike subgenre.[6][7] It is played in single-player mode[8][9][10] from a third-person perspective.[4]
The player controls the Destined One, a monkey protagonist based on Sun Wukong from the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West.[5][8] The protagonist's weapon is a staff much like the Ruyi Jingu Bang from the novel.[5][13] The staff can extend and shrink in size during combat.[5] Its moveset is versatile through the staff stances, which includes the smash, pillar, and thrust stance.[14][15][16][17] The combat mechanics involve resource management.[18] Focus is accumulated by landing light attacks, executing well-timed dodges, and other means.[19][20] A focus point is gained when the meter for focus is filled up.[18] These points can be used to initiate heavy attacks.[20] A heavy attack can be executed on its own or as a varied combo integrated during light attacks.[21] Meanwhile, stamina is depleted by sprinting, dodging, and attacking.[22][23]
Spells, which act as abilities, are divided into four categories, namely mysticism, alteration, strand, and transformations.[24] They have cooldown periods and consume mana.[4][5] The exception is transformations, which have cooldowns and do not consume mana.[18] The protagonist uses transformations to shapeshift into various creatures or beings.[5][25] One example is the Red Tides transformation, which takes the form of Guangzhi, a wolfman who wields a flaming glaive.[5] Each transformation has its own unique moveset and health pool.[5][25] It remains active until its might, which is depleted by attacking, or health runs out.[5]
Spirits[26][27] and vessels[28] are equippable components that offer both passive bonuses and active skills for use in battle. Each has its own qi, which is used to activate its skill and is replenished through attacks.[29] Defeated yaoguai chiefs may leave behind their spirits, which are captured if they are absorbed into a gourd or retrieved from a keeper's shrine.[30] Each spirit skill functions as a transformation that unleashes a unique attack.[27] An example of a spirit is the Wandering Wight, who performs a headbutt attack.[26] An example of a vessel is the Plantain Fan, which generates a hurricane that staggers enemies.[28]
The game follows a mostly linear progression interspersed with expansive areas.[5] There are keeper's shrines, which serve as checkpoints, along the way.[31] The character customization is flexible, as skill points known as sparks can be freely reallocated to change the character's playstyle.[32] The game's difficulty cannot be manually adjusted and varies throughout a playthrough.[33] Enemy boss encounters, for instance, follow a deliberate rhythm of rising and falling intensity across each chapter.[34] After a playthrough is completed, the player can access a New Game Plus mode[35][36] and a boss battle mode.[37][38]
Synopsis
Setting
Black Myth: Wukong is inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West.[4][5][16][25] For instance, it features adaptations of the novel's characters and their backstories.[39][40] It is structured into six chapters, each centered on a distinct location: Black Wind Mountain, Yellow Wind Ridge, The New West, The Webbed Ridge, Flaming Mountains, and Mount Huaguo.[41] The world is home to gods from the Chinese pantheon, encompassing Buddhist, Daoist, and other deities.[42] It is also inhabited by yaoguais, who are beings with preternatural abilities and strange appearances.[43] The story hints at a growing instability in the relationship between the Buddhist deities of Mount Lingshan and the Daoist gods of the Celestial Court in the background.[44]
The game introduces cultural and natural scenery derived from the real world into its setting.[45][46] It features, for example, scenes based on the Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou,[47] the Wulong Temple in Langzhong,[48] and the Dazu Rock Carvings,[34] among others.
Each chapter concludes with an animated cutscene that reflects on and explores the narrative and thematic elements of the game.[49] The first three cutscenes are grounded in Chinese philosophy.[50] The fourth cutscene portrays love,[50][51] while the fifth cutscene addresses grief and anger.[51] The final cutscene serves as a reverse-chronological flashback to a few key events from the Journey to the West.[52]
Plot
After escorting his master, the Tang Monk, and retrieving the Buddhist scriptures in a pilgrimage to the West, Sun Wukong ascends to Buddhahood. Yet, he rejects life in the Celestial Court for the simple joys of life on Mount Huaguo. The Court grows mistrustful and sends an army led by Erlang Shen to force him to submit. Sun Wukong duels Erlang Shen, but he is incapacitated by the circlet that binds him and is sealed in stone on the mountain. He is severed from his six senses, corresponding to six powerful relics. Over the next centuries, the monkeys of the mountain seek to recover the relics to revive him.
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The Destined One, one of the monkeys, traverses Black Wind Mountain and is assisted by the local Keeper through this place. He defeats the Black Bear Guai, who surrenders, and takes the Craving Eyes relic that the bear has enshrined atop a pagoda. The Destined One then travels to the barren Yellow Wind Ridge. He defeats the Yellow Wind Sage, who uses Bodhisattva Lingji's severed head to contain the Fuming Ears relic. A Headless Monk, revealed to be Lingji, restores his head and hands over the relic to the monkey. The Destined One continues to The New West, a cold mountainous region. Yellowbrow, appearing in the guise of Maitreya, has the Hubris Nose relic submerged in a frozen lake. He sends Kang-Jin Star after the monkey. During a fight, she crashes into the Gold Cymbals imprisoning Zhu Bajie, an old friend of Sun Wukong. Bajie escapes and joins the quest to gather the relics. The Destined One defeats Yellowbrow, who flees and falls into the lake. Maitreya fishes the relic out of the lake for the monkey. The Destined One and Zhu Bajie arrive at The Webbed Ridge, where the monkey is aided by the Fourth Sister of the spider guai family. The Second Sister captures Bajie and brings him to the matriarch, the Violet Spider, but the monkey rescues him. The Violet Spider flees to the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Master, who absorbs the Envious Tongue relic he previously gave her and thereby mortally injures her. The spider sisters retaliate against the master and the Destined One joins the sisters in the battle, ultimately defeating him. Bajie and the Violet Spider, who were once lovers, share a final glance, but Bajie sorrowfully turns away and walks toward the reappeared relic. The Destined One and Zhu Bajie fight their way to the Flaming Mountains. The monkey rescues someone who alleges to be Pingping, the daughter of the Bull King and Princess Fair Fox. The Bull King sees through the ruse and recognizes his son Red Boy beneath the disguise. He gives the Grieved Body relic to the monkey, but Red Boy intercepts and consumes it. The Destined One and Bajie defeat him. Rakshasi, the mother of Red Boy, pleads for mercy and offers her Plantain Fan. However, Red Boy refuses to submit and kills himself, which leads to the reemergence of the relic.
In the Great Pagoda located in The New West, Maitreya guides Erlang Shen and the Destined One to Mount Mei. Here, the Destined One defeats Erlang Shen and the Four Heavenly Kings. Erlang Shen, who took the Mind of Sun Wukong after their battle many ages ago, unleashes Wukong's memories from his third eye and shares his realization that their fight back then allowed Wukong to set a path to break free through a mortal death.
The Destined One and Zhu Bajie return to Mount Huaguo. They retrieve Sun Wukong's armor and Jingubang. They pass through the stone on the mountain's summit into a realm shaped by Wukong's lingering memories. There, the Old Monkey ferries them across its waters. The group encounters versions of their present selves, which prompts the Old Monkey to reveal that the Destined One is the mind of Sun Wukong. He says that Wukong's mind is lost, as the mind is an essence unique to every life and is destined to fade away at life's end. Thus, he explains, Wukong can never return as he was, but the universe will always bear him a successor—the Destined One. At the journey's end, the Destined One defeats Sun Wukong's broken shell. The five relics, obtained during the journey, unite with the Destined One. As the shell dissipates, Wukong's circlet materializes on its head and drops into the shallow water. In one ending, the Old Monkey places the circlet on the Destined One and thereby binds him. In the other ending, having recovered Sun Wukong's memories from Erlang Shen, the Destined One does not wear the circlet and remains free.
Development
Black Myth: Wukong is a game developed and published by Game Science.[8][13][53] On February 25, 2018, the decision was made to create a single-player game.[54] In December 2018, the development team relocated from Shenzhen to Hangzhou.[54]
The development team set out to create a single-player game that reflected their own style with an emphasis on traditional cultural themes.[55] The focus on the action role-playing genre for both the studio and this project emerged after a company-wide survey revealed that action role-playing games were the games with the longest playtimes on Steam among the staff.[34] Feng Ji said that this approach would allow them to better understand and empathize with players, because they themselves would be players of the type of games they were creating.[34] The team discussed themes such as xianxia and wuxia, but were most enthusiastic about the Journey to the West.[56] Ultimately, they chose to adapt the Journey to the West and craft a story following the ending of that tale.[34] The series' title Black Myth was adopted to reflect the dark themes explored through Chinese mythology.[34] The game's title became Black Myth: Wukong, as the character Sun Wukong was the most prominent link between the novel and the game.[34]
The development team selected characters to feature in the game and, based on these ideas, designed thirteen levels, including Lion Camel Ridge, Kingdom of Women, Black Wind Mountain, Yellow Wind Ridge, and Flaming Mountains.[34] However, due to scheduling constraints, specific levels were prioritized and ultimately created.[34] By the end of 2018, they had implemented core gameplay functions and had largely formed the level for Mount Huaguo.[54] The work then shifted to the level for Black Wind Mountain.[2][54]
Black Myth: Wukong was first announced with a trailer showcasing gameplay from its pre-alpha build on August 20, 2020.[57][58] The trailer demonstrated the game built on Unreal Engine 4.[59] It showed the protagonist exploring the environment and fighting various foes[59] in the level for Black Wind Mountain.[60] Game Science released the video on social media without contacting any media outlet beforehand.[61] Within one day, the trailer amassed nearly 2 million views on YouTube and 10 million views on Bilibili.[62] The studio's intention was to attract potential employees to help build the game.[2][63] The trailer therefore deliberately presented the Black Wind Mountain level in its current state of development, rather than being modified specifically for the demonstration.[2] The development team started with seven people and had about thirty people around the time of the announcement.[60] In the past, they recruited within their own personal network, but they realized that this approach was not enough for the project.[2] The trailer's popularity far exceeded their expectations and resulted in over 10 thousand applicants, but they maintained their plans to recruit between ten and fifteen people for the time being to avoid expanding too quickly and losing sight of their original vision.[2] By the end of the development, as shown by the game's end credits, the team had grown to 140 members.[64]
Black Myth: Wukong was developed on Unreal Engine 5.[67][68][69] Initially, development began on its predecessor, Unreal Engine 4.[2][67][33] The move to the newer version was revealed through a trailer on August 20, 2021.[70][71] A spokesperson from Game Science explained that, in 2021, they had switched to Unreal Engine 5 as this would help with their pursuit of realism in the style.[33]
In designing the environment, the team conducted on-site studies of various real-world locations in cooperation with local cultural institutions.[50][55] They created scans of scenes, such as buildings and statues, from numerous locations to incorporate into the design.[50][55][34] Over the course of four years, they traveled extensively across China to carry out this work.[34] In the first year, Yang Qi and other team members scouted various locations to determine a scanning plan.[34] The overall effort resulted in an expansive asset library that far exceeded the game's actual needs.[34]
Motion capture of performances by several actors was used to animate the movements of different characters.[65][66] The actor Yin Kai, who is a martial arts practitioner, provided the motion capture for the Destined One and several other characters.[65][66][72] Most of his performances were for actions done by the protagonist during combat.[66]
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The game's sound, including the music and voice work, was produced by 8082 Audio.[76][77][78] They created the music using Chinese instruments and Western orchestral elements.[79] They incorporated musical vocal styles rooted in Chinese traditions, such as Shanbei storytelling,[45][80] Hua'er folk singing from Gansu,[81] and Buddhist chanting.[78] A notable musical highlight is a symphonic adaptation of "Yungong Xunyin", a theme song composed by Xu Jingqing for the 1986 television series Journey to the West.[82] For the English voiceovers, Game Science encouraged voice actors to explore regional accents, such as Brummie for the character Yin Tiger.[83] PitStop Productions, the studio producing the English voiceovers, approached this on a character-by-character basis and aimed to keep the voices fairly broad rather than tied to particular places in the game.[83]
The game's artwork was produced in a variety of forms. Its six animated cutscenes were created by multiple animation studios.[51][73] The art style of the first cutscene "I See" was inspired by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio's classic works and lianhuanhua comic strips.[52][51] For its aesthetic, both xieshi (realist) and xieyi (expressive) techniques were combined.[52] The sixth cutscene "Unfinished" was illustrated in the art style of lianhuanhua with elements inspired by the ink line drawing technique baimiao and old murals such as the Dunhuang murals.[84] The remaining cutscenes employed a range of styles, which included stop motion[51][52][85] and anime.[86] Artists from the China Academy of Art created the art for the game's character portraits and in-game murals.[87] The art for the portraits was created with brushwork as Song-style ink illustrations on silk.[87] It was done using both gongbi and xieyi techniques.[87] The art for the murals was painted in color on silk using traditional techniques.[87] It drew inspiration from the art style of Song dynasty paintings—such as Searching the Mountain, Gathering Herbs, Monkey and Cats, and Five Hundred Arhats—as well as Journey to the West illustrated books and block prints of either the Ming or Qing dynasties.[87]
Black Myth: Wukong was developed on a US$70 million budget over six years, as reported by Bloomberg.[88] The project was partially funded by the investor Hero Games.[88][89] Game Science had previously developed two mobile games before they cautiously took on the larger-scale project—an approach shaped by necessity to stay afloat as a new studio and by the team's prior experience with the risks of large-scale development at former employer Tencent.[90] The team initially did not have high expectations for profitability due to the high costs for research and development.[55] Their initial expectation was that the game would sell between 3 and 5 million units, which would be enough to ensure its viability and pave the way for future projects.[91] The Zhejiang Provincial Tax Service cited a statement by a Game Science financial manager regarding a 2023 tax incentive for research and development expenses, in which the costs were estimated to have exceeded CN¥300 million (US$42 million).[92] This figure does not represent the whole budget, but details the core research and development costs directly incurred by Game Science, excluding external contributions and broader company expenses, applicable to a tax policy aimed at promoting technological innovation across industries.[92]
Release
Black Myth: Wukong was released for PC (Windows) and PlayStation 5 on August 20, 2024.[94][95][96][97] It was released for Xbox Series X/S on August 20, 2025.[98][99][100][101] It is the first installment in the Black Myth series.[102]
On August 20, 2020, Game Science unveiled Black Myth: Wukong with a trailer showcasing gameplay from its pre-alpha build.[57][58] In January 2023, they published a short film celebrating the Year of the Rabbit which revealed that the game would be released in the summer of 2024.[103][104][105] During The Game Awards in December 2023, they released a trailer announcing the release date as August 20, 2024.[106][107][108]
In June 2024, Game Science disclosed that the Xbox Series X/S version of the game was delayed for optimization to meet their quality standards.[109][110][111] Media reports suggested that this may be due to the technical limitations of Xbox Series S,[109][112][113] while some sources specifically suggested a memory leak as the possible issue.[114][115] IGN reported that the delay was, according to an unnamed source, because of an exclusivity deal with Sony and not technical issues.[116] After speaking to his sources, Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb stated that Sony had no marketing deal in place to keep the game as an exclusive.[117][118] In September 2024, Microsoft responded that the delay was not due to Xbox limitations "that have been raised to us."[114][119] In January 2025, Feng Ji made a social media post about the Xbox situation, mentioning that the "10 GB of shared memory" was difficult to resolve without having several years of optimization experience.[120][121][122][123] In June 2025, Game Science announced the Xbox version's release date, explaining that "Bringing Black Myth: Wukong to Xbox Series X|S—and ensuring the experience met our internal quality standards—was no easy feat. Fortunately, we were able to complete this challenging task smoothly within the first year of the game's official release."[101]
For the launch, Black Myth: Wukong received four editions: Digital Standard Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Collector's Edition.[94] The Digital Standard Edition contains the base game.[94] The Digital Deluxe Edition provides, alongside the base game, extra in-game content and a selected digital soundtrack.[94] The content consists of the weapon Bronzecloud Staff; the equipment Folk Opera Mask, Folk Opera Almsgiving Armor, Folk Opera Leather Bracers, and Folk Opera Buskins; and the curio Wind Chimes.[94] The two physical editions, the Deluxe Edition and the Collector's Edition, contain an activation code for the Digital Deluxe Edition on WeGame for JD.com purchases or Steam for overseas purchases.[124] The Deluxe Edition comes with the physical collectibles: Steel Case, The Constricting Headband, Chaos at the Peach Banquet (color print on silk scroll), Wind Chime (necklace), Thunderstone (ring), Gold Sun Crow (pin), Stamps and Postcard, and Warranty Certificate.[94] For the Collector's Edition, these are: Steel Case, Confront Destiny (protagonist figurine), Teaching of the Heart Sutra (color print on silk scroll), Wind Chime, Thunderstone, Gold Sun Crow, Stamps and Postcard, and Warranty Certificate.[94][125] A physical disc was not included in these editions.[109][126] Game Science stated that they were still exploring options to offer physical discs, but that limitations in offline resources made it difficult to offer physical discs simultaneously with the release.[109][126]
Black Myth: Wukong was the most-wishlisted game on Steam starting May 2024.[127] Pre-orders for the game launched on June 8, 2024.[128] The in-game content Trailblazer's Scarlet Gourd, which can also be obtained through gameplay progression, was a bonus incentive for pre-ordering.[94] By early August 2024, ahead of the release, the game ranked first on Steam's global top sellers chart.[129] When the game's preload went live shortly before release, the download bandwidth usage on Steam reached its then highest peak of 70 terabytes per second, superseding the previous record held by Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020.[130] Hero Games, a marketing partner, reportedly sent some content creators an email with an activation code for the game and guidelines to not discuss certain topics such as politics, feminism, and other things in their coverage of the game at launch.[131]
The PlayStation 5 physical edition of Black Myth: Wukong includes a physical disc containing the base game and a voucher code to redeem the Deluxe Edition content.[132][133] It was released in December 2024[134][135] or January 2025[136] depending on the region.
Post-release content
In December 2024, Black Myth: Wukong received a free update comprising new content, such as a boss battle mode unlocked following the story campaign, a map for each chapter, and an armor set created to celebrate the Chinese New Year.[137]
Game Science planned Black Myth: Wukong as the first installment in a Black Myth series that features stories based on Chinese mythology.[2] The game was internally referred to as B1, meaning Black Myth One, in reference to its status as the first work in the series.[2]
Black Myth: Zhong Kui followed as the second installment in the Black Myth series.[102] On the decision to begin the development of that game, Feng Ji expressed that it stemmed from a desire to freely and boldly create a completely new title in the series.[138][139][140] He noted that although he and the rest of the team were working on a DLC for Black Myth: Wukong, he found himself stuck in a haze following the release of the game, a project that he envisioned for nearly twenty years and one that greatly exceeded expectations.[138][139][140] He said that in 2025, he raised the idea to make an entirely new game instead to Yang Qi and other colleagues.[138][139][140] He assured that Sun Wukong's story would return in a more complete and substantial way.[138][139][140] In an FAQ for Black Myth: Zhong Kui, Game Science stated "[...] to all friends who love Black Myth: Wukong: the westward journey won't end here."[141]
Media and merchandise
Official events related to Black Myth: Wukong were organized and held. The Black Myth: Wukong Symphony Concert was held at venues across China.[142][143] It was produced by Poly Culture Group and Game Science.[142] Attendees received souvenirs such as a commemorative music album.[143] The Black Myth: Wukong Global Concert was held at venues across the world, such as the Peacock Theater, Carnegie Hall, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, and many others.[144][145] The Bilibili New Year's Eve Gala 2024 featured live performances of songs from the game.[146] The Black Myth: Wukong Art Exhibition, which was held at the CAA Art Museum in Hangzhou, showcased a wide variety of artistic works related to the game.[147][148][149] It included elements from in-game scenes recreated in physical form,[147][150] such as a life-sized replica of a keeper's shrine from the Black Wind Mountain level.[151] Visitors received the art book Concept Works of Black Myth: Wukong as a souvenir.[147][152]
In January 2025, Game Science released a Chinese New Year short film announcing its official merchandise brand BLACKMYTH.[153][154][155] The studio conceived it as a gamer lifestyle brand with products related to Black Myth: Wukong and other content over time.[154][155] A dedicated team, separate from the game developers, was established to handle the design, production, and operation of the brand.[154][155]
Other companies also produced official goods for Black Myth: Wukong. Game Science, 8082 Audio, and QQ Music produced a game music album on vinyl in two editions.[156] Moli, a CITIC Press Group subsidiary, produced an art book depicting the game's character portraits in a hardcover edition and a collector's edition that was designed with Chinese-style bookbinding.[157] UCG Media produced a Chinese-language guidebook for the game.[158] Moreover, some companies collaborated to create co-branded products based on the game, such as gaming controllers,[159][160] keyboards,[161] electronics,[162][163] soft drinks,[164] coffee,[165] fast food,[166] postage stamps,[167] jewelry,[168] and electric cars.[169]
Queen Studios, including its INART and MORFIG brands, is the official producer of figures for Black Myth: Wukong.[170][171] They made the Confront Destiny protagonist figurine for the Collector's Edition of the game.[170] During the Wonder Festival Shanghai in October 2024, they revealed figurines of different characters and a life-size bust of the Destined One.[170] Each bust comes with a numbered certificate signed by Game Science art director Yang Qi and Queen Studios art director Oliver Liu.[172][173] The figurine line includes characters such as the Destined One,[174][175] Zhu Bajie,[176][177] the Fourth Sister,[178][179] and others.[180]
Reception
Reviews
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 81/100[181] PS5: 76/100[182] |
| OpenCritic | 81% recommend[183] |
Black Myth: Wukong received "generally favorable" reviews on PC and PlayStation 5 from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[181][182]
Sales
On the release day, Black Myth: Wukong reached over 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam, which established it as the second-highest game by this metric, surpassing other popular games such as Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077.[184][185] The feat made it the highest single-player game by concurrent players on Steam.[185][186] According to Bloomberg, the ascent could help the game "seal its place in industry lore."[187] On August 22, 2024, the game reached its all-time peak of over 2.4 million concurrent players on Steam.[188][189] The feat maintained its ranking as second overall, placing behind only PUBG: Battlegrounds, among all games on Steam.[188][190][191]
Game Science announced that Black Myth: Wukong sold 10 million units, derived from data as of August 23, 2024, at 9 PM (UTC+8), and reached 3 million concurrent players across all platforms.[188][192][193][194][195] The achievement made it one of the fastest-selling titles given the timeframe.[196][197] Furthermore, the demand for the Deluxe and Collector's Editions was high.[198] For instance, on JD.com, a supply of 30 thousand physical units sold out within seconds, as more than 700 thousand people had signed up for an opportunity to purchase.[198]
Hero Games CEO Daniel Wu, an investor, shared to Bloomberg that Black Myth: Wukong had sold 18 million units in two weeks.[88] Bloomberg described this as "one of the fastest starts the global gaming industry has seen."[88] Sony revealed that it was the most-downloaded PlayStation 5 game in North America (United States and Canada), Europe, and Japan during August 2024.[199][200]
During the Tokyo Game Show in September 2024, former Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Ken Kutaragi said that Black Myth: Wukong sold 20 million units in the first month.[201] On October 1, 2024, during the Unreal Fest Seattle, Epic Games' Unreal Engine VP & GM Bill Clifford announced that the game had surpassed 20 million units sold the previous week and showed a video message from Feng Ji, who conveyed that one of their best decisions may have been to develop the game on Unreal Engine and that they will continue to collaborate closely with Epic Games to create the next generation of immersive virtual experiences.[202] The Guinness World Records listed the game as the "Fastest-selling videogame based on a classic novel" for having sold 20 million units in the first month.[203] At Sony's PlayStation Partner Awards in December 2024, the game received a Grand Award in recognition of its status as one of "the top three titles developed in the Japan and Asia regions with the highest worldwide sales between October 2023 and September 2024."[204] As reported in May 2025, PM Studios CEO Mike Yum confirmed that the game performed very well in its physical sales and shared that "I got a lot of calls like during Christmas and after the New Year's thanking me and saying that it saved their business."[205] The company managed the distribution of the PlayStation 5 physical edition across North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.[206]
Impact
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Black Myth: Wukong is widely regarded as the first AAA game from the Chinese video game industry.[207][208] Nikkei Asia reported that it is seen as a new standard bearer for games from the Chinese industry, a sector dominated by mobile games but gradually shifting toward console games, and could inspire Chinese developers to pursue ambitious projects that draw international audiences.[209] Following the game's success, industry professionals in China have noted increased confidence in domestic studios.[210] For instance, Li Shen, former CTO of Tencent Games China and Epic Games China, observed that although Chinese developers have always been interested in single-player games, publishers became more willing to invest after Black Myth: Wukong sold millions of units globally.[211] According to The Diplomat, the game's success reflects a broader trend of the Chinese industry, following its Japanese and Korean counterparts, to harness organic popularity to stimulate the global appeal of creative and cultural exports.[212] The South China Morning Post reported that analysts expect the success of the game to positively impact the Chinese industry, as government agencies may become more inclined to encourage domestic studios to pursue AAA projects.[208] For example, as Reuters noted, the Chinese state media's highly positive response to the game signals a recognition of the industry's potential value in terms of culture and export.[207]
The popularity of Black Myth: Wukong boosted PlayStation 5 sales in the Chinese market.[213][214] For instance, sales reached the top for video game hardware and doubled compared to the same period last year on Tmall in the week leading up to the game's launch.[213][214] Former PlayStation Studios President Shuhei Yoshida, in the context of sales in China, commented that "In fact, I saw some news that after the release of Black Myth: Wukong last year, there were no PS5s left to buy. It sold out!"[215] Sony revealed that third-party titles, specifically referencing Black Myth: Wukong and another game, were key contributors to the increased sales in their Game and Network Services division during the three-month period ended September 30, 2024.[216]
Black Myth: Wukong's influence extended beyond gaming. It boosted tourism to the real-world locations featured in its scenes.[217][218] It led to a greater global interest in other media related to the Journey to the West.[219] It produced characters popular for cosplay, such as the Fourth Sister[220] and Pingping.[221] At the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, the Chinese team won gold for artistic swimming in the team technical routine, performing a Wukong-inspired routine set to music from the game.[222]
Accolades
Black Myth: Wukong received awards, sometimes referred to as kasayas by fans, from awards ceremonies.[223] Beth Park, recognized for her role as a lead performance director on the game, was selected as a BAFTA Breakthrough in 2024.[224]
| Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| gamescom award 2023 | Best Visuals | Won | [225][226] |
| Most Epic | Nominated | ||
| UCG Game Awards 2023 | Most Anticipated Game | Won | [227] |
| Thailand Game Awards 2024 | Game of the Year | Won | [228][229] |
| Best PC / Console Game | Won | ||
| Best Art Direction | Won | ||
| Best Action Game | Won | ||
| Golden Joystick Awards 2024 | Ultimate Game of the Year | Won | [230] |
| Best Visual Design | Won | ||
| Equinox Latam Game Awards 2024 | Game of the Year | Won | [231][232] |
| Best PlayStation Game | Nominated | ||
| Best PC Game | Won | ||
| Action Adventure | Nominated | ||
| Soundtrack | Nominated | ||
| Art Direction | Nominated | ||
| PlayStation Partner Awards 2024 | Grand Award | Won | [204][233] |
| Users' Choice | Won | ||
| The Game Awards 2024 | Game of the Year | Nominated | [234][235] |
| Best Game Direction | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Nominated | ||
| Best Action Game | Won | ||
| Players' Voice | Won | ||
| The 2024 Steam Awards | Game of the Year | Won | [236][237] |
| Best Game You Suck At | Won | ||
| Outstanding Story-Rich Game | Won | ||
| UCG Game Awards 2024 | Game of the Year | Won | [238][239] |
| Phenomenon of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Artistic Expression | Won | ||
| Players' Voice | Won | ||
| 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Game of the Year | Nominated | [240][241] |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction | Won | ||
| Action Game of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 25th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards | Game of the Year | Nominated | [242][243] |
| Best Audio | Nominated | ||
| Best Design | Nominated | ||
| Best Narrative | Nominated | ||
| Best Technology | Nominated | ||
| Best Visual Art | Won | ||
| Innovation Award | Nominated | ||
| BAFTA Games Awards 2025 | Best Game | Nominated | [244][245] |
| Artistic Achievement | Nominated | ||
| Music | Nominated | ||
| Narrative | Nominated | ||
| New Intellectual Property | Nominated | ||
| Technical Achievement | Nominated | ||
| GEM Awards 2025 | GEM of the Year 2024 | Won | [246][247] |
| Best Narrative | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Won | ||
| Best Debut (New IP) | Won | ||
| Best Action/Adventure Game | Won | ||
| Best Protagonist | Nominated |
Notes
- Simplified Chinese: 黑神话：悟空; traditional Chinese: 黑神話：悟空; pinyin: Hēishénhuà: Wùkōng.[3]
