'Black Myth: Wukong' gives boost to Chinese culture on global stage

Loosely inspired by the 16th-century Chinese classic "Journey to the West," "Black Myth: Wukong" has quickly become a global gaming sensation.

Upon its release, the game garnered acclaim in China and abroad with pre-sale revenue exceeding 400 million yuan (about $56 million) in China and sales of 18.9 million copies totaling over $905 million on Steam, the world's most popular online video game platform.

This success has thrust the Chinese gaming industry into the global spotlight and sparked worldwide interest in traditional Chinese culture.

Gaming forums like Steam Community saw discussions about the most popular NPCs (non-playable characters) in the game. Characters such as Pigsy from the classic novel, the demon Xugou guarding the alchemy furnace, the talking lanterns in the Spider Cave level, and Kang Jinlong in the Little Western Heaven level that can transform into a dragon have all intrigued players and non-players alike. Many have produced videos offering cultural interpretations related to the game and "Journey to the West."

"Games are a product that allows players from all around the world to communicate, experience, and share joy. We welcome diverse perspectives," Feng Ji, the game's producer, told CMG.

Aesthetics not an excuse for subpar quality

Game Science has been developing the game since 2018. For Feng, also the company's founder, national aesthetics represent a profound sense of responsibility.

Feng emphasized that high-quality cultural products should first resonate with the local audience and reflect the cultural essence of their creators. Only if they are of exceptional quality and have had time to mature can they naturally extend their influence overseas.

"National aesthetics should never be used as an excuse for subpar quality," he said.

To create a realistic and artistically rich game world, the art design team drew inspiration from 36 landmarks across China, including the Jade Emperor Temple in Jincheng, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple in Shanxi Province. They established the world's first virtual library of ancient Chinese architectural heritage, allowing the game to present China's stunning landscapes and historic sites in a unified virtual experience.

"The game team conducted a 3D scan of Lingyin Temple on-site, using advanced technology to create a precise 1:1 replica. Even the dust on the surface was meticulously preserved during the rendering process to maintain the temple's original character," said Ding Yuqian, deputy section chief of the Industrial Division at the Cultural and Creative Development Center of Xi Hu District, Hangzhou.

Additionally, the Chinese music featured in the game's second chapter has particularly impressed gamers. The piece, which lasts under two minutes, has amassed over ten million views on social media. It is voiced by Xiong Zhuying, a bearer of the intangible cultural heritage of Shanbei storytelling.

The evocative lines, "Success and failure, life and death, all are beyond reason," combined with the poignant, melancholic tone of the performance deeply resonated with the players. Shanbei storytelling, an important traditional artform, features three strings and a distinctive vocal style.

Technological empowerment

"We aim to tell a Chinese story with world-class quality, technology, and visual standards," Feng said.

The game is developed using Unreal Engine 5 and utilizes virtual micro-polygon geometry technology, allowing for the direct handling of models with billions or even hundreds of billions of polygons, achieving extremely high precision in geometric detail. As a result, the game's scenes and characters exhibit incredibly realistic details, such as the textures of ancient buildings and the fur on Wukong.

To recreate the characters' lifelike expressions and smooth movements, the game developers employed extensive motion capture technology. Professional motion capture actors wear motion capture suits and reflective markers in a motion capture studio, where multiple cameras record their movements from 360 degrees. The captured data is then applied to virtual models and refined, ultimately being presented in the game.

Culture as a bond

"Culture is a bond of heart and emotion, transcending time and space," Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Washington Chinese Cultural Festival after the game went viral. 

Some international players specifically chose the Chinese version of the game to feel immersed in the Chinese mythology. Others began to read the original novel to better understand the game's settings and storyline, and many expressed interest in visiting the locations featured in the game.

"The story structures of The Lord of the Rings and Journey to the West are essentially the same; both involve a group of individuals teaming up to tackle a formidable task. Although their narrative styles and worldviews are different, there isn't much difference between Wu Cheng'en, the author of 'Journey to the West,' and Shakespeare," Feng said.

The game's success has fostered a strong sense of cultural pride among young Chinese gamers and traditional culture enthusiasts, who share and explain the game's elements and their connections to "Journey to the West."

Reflecting on the game's success, Feng acknowledged, "We were fortunate to meet everyone's expectations at just the right time."