China’s biggest video game hit of all time, Black Myth: Wukonghas led to an increase in bookings at hotels that specialize in gamers, according to travel company Trip.com.
Some operators of such hotels, which offer in-room gaming hardware for fans who don’t necessarily have their own hardware, reported that their shared rooms were sold out as early as August 20, the night of the game’s release.
Booking site operator Trip.com Group confirmed the surge in activity, reporting that search volume for gaming rooms was up 40 percent that evening compared to the previous day. Nearly 70 percent of gaming fans booking such hotels were from the post-90s and post-00s generation, and 75 percent were men, the company said.
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The blockbuster video game, developed by Tencent Holdings-backed start-up studio Game Science, sparked a wave of activity in the “Wukong economy,” providing bright spots in sectors such as tourism and computer accessories amid overall weak domestic consumer spending.
An undated image from Game Science shows the Monkey King from the video game Black Myth: Wukong. Photo: Xinhua alt=An undated image from Game Science shows the Monkey King from the video game Black Myth: Wukong. Photo: Xinhua>
The success of China’s first AAA premium game based on the literary character of the Monkey King from the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the Westis also leading to a travel boom in parts of the country, according to local authorities and companies.
According to Trip.com, the combination of tourism and gaming has become one of the most popular new cultural tourism experiences among young travelers in China.
Gaming hotels offer guests a comfortable way to escape from everyday life and play games. In addition to the usual amenities, the rooms feature special gaming equipment such as high-end PCs with fast internet connections, game consoles and controllers, and virtual reality equipment.
Gaming trips are becoming increasingly popular among young people as a social gathering. They may book several rooms to socialize and experience the game together.
Hotel chain Wanyoo eSports has hit the jackpot since the game’s release, with many branches selling out over the past week despite raising room rates to more than double normal levels.
Each room of the hotel company has a PC with a high-performance graphics card that costs about 20,000 yuan ($2,807). The setup is popular with thousands of young gamers who want to get a taste of the world of gaming. Black Myth before the end of their summer holidays.
At a Wanyoo hotel on Changshou Road in Shanghai, a double room has cost more than 700 yuan per night since August 20, an increase of over 100 percent from around 300 yuan previously. Black Myth: Wukong‘s debut.
A front desk manager who asked not to be named said that to attract more gamers, the hotel will upgrade its gaming hardware and replace Nvidia 4070 graphics cards with the 4090 model in the hotel’s 28 rooms in the coming weeks.
A game-ready room at the Wanyoo Hotel in Shanghai. Photo: Weibo/ 第一财经网 alt=A game-ready room at the Wanyoo Hotel in Shanghai. Photo: Weibo/第一财经网>
Prices for a shared room in the hotel are up to 800 yuan. But when the new school year starts in September, the hotel will lose customers, the manager said.
“That’s why we decided to upgrade the hardware to increase our appeal to (working adults),” he said. “The blockbuster video game has given a big boost to hotels, especially those that cater to e-sports fans. Now more people know they can save on hardware costs by renting a hotel room for video games.”
JJ Kong, a Shanghai resident in her early 40s, booked a room at Wanyoo on Wednesday.
“I want to try it, but I’m not going to be obsessed with it,” she said. “Buying a hotel room for a two- or three-day stay sounds like a good option to me.”
The best-selling game has already boosted tourism to locations featured in the game’s storyline. The game uses 36 scenic locations across China as its backdrop, 27 of them in Shanxi province alone. And searches for Shanxi province increased by more than 10 percent on the day of the game’s release compared to the day before, Trip.com reported.
Search volume increased by 20 percent in cities such as Datong and Shuozhou, while some temple sites such as Xiaoxitian in Shanxi saw a significant increase in bookings. Many tourists have shared their experiences of visiting the ancient buildings featured in the game.
Since Monday, sales of Black Myth over 15.4 million copies, with the title’s revenue on the video game platform Steam totaling more than $737 million, according to market research firm Video Game Insights.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice for reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, visit the SCMP app or the SCMP Facebook page and Þjórsárden Pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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