The Chinese Game Industry’s Journey to the West — Rui Ma and Rob Wynne on the Success of Black Myth: Wukong
Sep 12, 2024
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Join Rui Ma, a top commentator on China's tech scene, and Robert Wynne, an industry veteran, as they delve into the remarkable success of 'Black Myth: Wukong.' The duo discusses its groundbreaking impact on both Chinese and U.S. markets. They explore the game’s cultural nuances that may confuse Western players and the challenges of introducing complex characters. Their insights extend to market strategies, the rise of AAA Chinese games, and the intricate dynamics of the gaming industry against the backdrop of political influences.
Black Myth: Wukong signifies a landmark moment for Chinese gaming studios aiming for global recognition through its culturally rooted narrative.
Game Science faced significant challenges in developing a AAA game, relying on viral marketing and grassroots funding to gain investor interest.
The differing reactions to the game's cultural representation highlight a divide between Chinese players' appreciation and Western players' focus on gameplay.
Deep dives
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Understanding China's Game Industry
The conversation centers on a recent success in China's video game landscape, particularly the game 'Black Myth: Wukong', developed by Game Science. This game, based on the Mongolian mythology of the Monkey King, marks the significant entry of Chinese gaming studios into the global market with a narrative deeply rooted in local culture. It has gained notable attention on platforms like Steam, showcasing a shift towards high-quality, culturally significant games from China. The impact of this title is seen as a pivotal moment for Chinese developers to gain recognition, possibly rivaling successful Western titles.
Game Science's Challenges
Game Science faced numerous hurdles while developing 'Black Myth: Wukong', including a lack of prior experience in producing AAA games and the necessary funding for such a large-scale project. Initial success came from a viral gameplay demo that garnered millions of views, attracting limited investor confidence even without a solid track record. While development was primarily self-sustained from earlier mobile games, it required significant resources and talent to create a quality AAA game. Despite these challenges, Game Science has demonstrated potential, suggesting that the landscape for Chinese game development is evolving and becoming more sophisticated.
Cultural Significance and Reception
'Black Myth: Wukong' has sparked diverse reactions among players, particularly regarding its storytelling and cultural representation of the Monkey King mythos. Chinese audiences perceive the characterization and narrative direction as a reflection of modern cultural trends, which has generated both praise and criticism for potentially straying from traditional interpretations. In contrast, Western audiences may simply enjoy the gameplay and visuals without grasping the deeper cultural references, highlighting the divide in understanding this adaptation. As it stands, the game represents more than just entertainment; it is also a conversation starter about cultural representation in global media.
The Chinese game studio Game Science has a hit on its hands! The game Black Myth: Wukong, an action role-playing game (ARPG) based on the Monkey King from Journey to the West, has sold extraordinarily well in China and is breaking new ground in the U.S. market as well. This week, I speak with Rui Ma, who runs Tech Buzz China and is one of the most highly-regarded China tech commentators in the U.S., and with Robert Wynne, an industry veteran with many years in China currently serving as COO of a new game start-up that's still under wraps. They share their insights into the strengths and weaknesses of Black Myth: Wukong and the future of Chinese games.
6:44 – The scale of the phenomenon of Black Myth: Wukong
12:01 – Rui and Rob’s thoughts about the game (so far)
17:23 – What Chinese players think of the game, and the difficulty in understanding its esoteric characters for Western players
24:23 – The appeal of mobile games versus console games in China
27:30 – The difficulty of attracting investment [or “How Game Science attracted investment”]
31:06 – Rob’s criticism of the game’s go-to-market strategy and its lost opportunities
35:46 – The party-state's response so far, and the politics surrounding the game
40:57 – Feng Ji, the founding of Game Science, and his criticisms of the gaming industry
46:01 – AAA Chinese games to look forward to
49:29 – The impressive success stats of Black Myth: Wukong
