TAIYUAN, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) — The Monkey King or Sun Wukong, one of the most iconic characters in international fiction, will come to life for fans this Tuesday with the release of the Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong.
Xu Zhi, a game enthusiast from northern China’s Shanxi Province, expressed his excitement, saying he took a day off to immerse himself in the world of Wukong. “I’ve been waiting for a game like this since I first read ‘Journey to the West’ as a child.”
No video game has ever generated so much excitement among Chinese youth. The domestic triple-A title, which has seen a record 1.2 million pre-orders in just over a month, is based on Sun Wukong, the iconic character from Journey to the West – one of China’s four great classical novels that has been frequently adapted into television series, films and games over the years.
Triple-A games are typically defined as expensive, mass-produced, high-quality standalone titles; a market currently dominated by Japanese, American and French companies.
Millions of Chinese gaming fans are caught up in the same excitement. When the first video for Black Myth: Wukong was released on August 20, 2020 on Bilibili, a leading video platform in China, it was viewed over 10 million times within 24 hours.
Fans were excited to see, for the first time, a well-made game virtually rich in Chinese architecture and sculptures.
China is the largest gaming market in the world, with revenue expected to exceed 300 billion Chinese yuan (about 42 billion US dollars) in 2023.
To create a truly immersive, world-class game, gaming company Game Science spent years shooting footage from historical and cultural sites across China. Using real-world scanning technology, they uploaded digital models of ancient buildings, statues and sculptures into Unreal Engine 5, a real-time 3D creation tool, laying the foundation for an ultra-realistic experience.
Today, these popular spots are a must-see for young Chinese. In Shanxi, which has the largest concentration of historical buildings in China, young visitors flock to Yuhuang Temple in the city of Jincheng. According to Tian Tongtong, an employee at the temple, tourism has reached a record high, with about 40 percent of visitors coming for the game.
“I had no idea that there were such realistically colored statues in China. When I saw them, I was really amazed,” said Pan Qingqing from Shanghai.
According to Yang Qi, Game Science’s senior art director, they initially tried to create original buildings and sculptures, but found that the existing traditional elements were already incredibly fascinating. “So we focused on recreating the beauty of these treasures in the game as accurately as possible.”
The mix of traditional culture and an interactive gaming experience is more likely to appeal to young people at home and abroad and encourage them to explore and fall in love with Chinese culture, says Han Xiao, a lecturer at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
He noted that even casual gamers in his circle, including those working in the cultural and educational sectors, have purchased the game. “Their interest is not only in the combat itself, but also in the fact that the game serves as a novel medium to explore Chinese culture and appeal to a young audience.”
Inspired by the game’s rich cultural elements, some fans even began playing the game’s theme music online using traditional instruments.
Not only gamers at home, but also international gaming enthusiasts eagerly post videos about Sun Wukong to explore the underlying culture.
“Great games allow players around the world to exchange experiences and share joy,” said Feng Ji, the game’s producer and co-founder of Game Science, adding that he is pleased to receive feedback from players around the world.
He said the global attention and praise exceeded his initial expectations and further motivated his team to develop more similar products.
“We plan to continue to release more games in the Black Myth series in the future so that more people can enjoy this wonderful and profound traditional culture,” said Feng. ■
