Black Myth: Wukong, the highly anticipated action RPG from Game Science, has taken the gaming world by storm, particularly in China. The game, based on the legendary tale of the Monkey King, has achieved phenomenal success, becoming the second most-played Steam game of all time in terms of peak concurrent users, with over 2.3 million players logged in simultaneously.
The game’s popularity extends beyond PC, driving a significant surge in PlayStation 5 sales in China. Bloomberg reports that PS5 sales on Alibaba’s Taobao e-commerce platform more than doubled in the week following the game’s release. This is a notable achievement, as the Chinese market is typically dominated by free-to-play mobile games, highlighting the exceptional appeal of Black Myth: Wukong.
It’s important to note that the peak concurrent player numbers on Steam only reflect users actively playing the game at a given moment, not the total number of copies sold. While official sales figures for PlayStation 5, Steam, and WeChat are not publicly available, it’s clear that Black Myth: Wukong has garnered substantial interest across multiple platforms.
Adding to the intrigue, Bloomberg points out that Tencent, a major Chinese technology giant, holds a 5% stake in Game Science. This raises questions about how Tencent’s involvement might influence the game’s future and its impact on the gaming landscape.
The success of Black Myth: Wukong underscores the growing appeal of high-quality console games in China, suggesting a potential shift in the gaming market. It will be fascinating to observe how this trend unfolds and the long-term impact of the game on platform holders like Valve and Sony.
