Black Legend: WukongThe action role-playing game developed by Chinese company Game Science has been a huge success after its August 20, 2024 launch for PC and PS5. The high sales, especially within China, reflect the continued industrialization of Chinese game development, the growing global influence of Chinese studios, and changing consumer preferences in China. Black Legend: Wukong The game reached over 2.2 million PCCU concurrent users on Steam within the first 24 hours, making it the most popular single-player PCCU game in the platform’s history. It also ranks second among all PCCU games, behind PUBG which peaked at 3.2 million.

The game, which was first announced in August 2020, is heavily inspired by Chinese mythology and is based on the classic novel. Journey to the WestThe game features Sun Wukong, or “Monkey King,” as its protagonist. The high-quality graphics, transformative gameplay (literally), and cultural relevance resonated strongly with Chinese gamers, with the first trailer surpassing 55 million views on video platform Bilibili. This made it the most-watched game trailer ever on the platform. The initial interest, continued trailer releases, and marketing push translated into over 4 million gamers wishlisting the title on Steam ahead of launch. It became the most-wanted game on the platform in early 2024.

Black Legend: WukongThe game’s strong performance in China is primarily due to continued access to the international version of Steam, which can be accessed without a VPN. Over 93% of the 250,000 reviews on Steam are in Simplified Chinese, with 97% of those reviews being positive. The game’s overwhelming popularity in China was further demonstrated when Steam’s download bandwidth peaked at 79.3 Tbps on August 20, with Asia accounting for 82% of this, breaking the previous record set in cyberpunk 2077Launch day (51 Tbps) in 2020.

The game received positive reviews on Steam from Chinese players.

The game’s success wasn’t limited to digital platforms. Physical copies of the game, including collector’s and deluxe editions, sold out in seconds on JD.com, with more than 700,000 players registering for a chance to buy the limited run of 30,000 copies. Game Science capitalized on this interest by partnering with brands like Lenovo, to ensure its PCs were optimized for the game, and Luckin Coffee, for physical activations, including branded merchandise and promotions. The buzz around each of these led to a surge in social media chatter ahead of the launch, with 1.7 billion views on Weibo on launch day, and the game even being covered by national news programs in China. Black Legend: Wukong It has also caught the attention of international media. Lisa Cosmas Hanson, CEO of Niko Partners, said: I spoke to Bloomberg. About How Black Legend: Wukong Boosts PS5 sales, shows Chinese gamers’ appetite for high-quality games

Niko Partners was able to track the game’s success on live game streaming platforms in China using our suite of data tools. According to Niko Partners’ China Games & Streaming Tracker, Black Legend: Wukong The game was the most viewed on Huya, DouYu, and Bilibili on its release day, surpassing other popular titles like league of legends, Honor of Kings and ValorantAccording to our Niko Index, the game had 29 million viewers across the three platforms on launch day, with Bilibili accounting for about 74% of the total viewership. Over $1 million was given/donated to players who played the game on that day. It was a record-breaking launch for a single-player game on Chinese game streaming platforms, surpassing cyberpunk 2077The China Games & Streaming Tracker provides a window into lesser-known local streaming platforms, supporting the gaming industry in understanding the most popular games, live streaming, and overall engagement.

Black Myth: Wukong Tops China Games & Streaming Tracker as Most Viewed Game

success Black Legend: Wukong Highlights the major shift in the global video game landscape for Chinese and non-Chinese developers.

First, the broader implications of this success cannot be ignored. It suggests that Chinese studios are ready to compete head-to-head with established Western and Japanese developers in the premium gaming space. Game Science’s move from developing mobile games to creating world-class premium games, backed by giants like Tencent and Hero Games, is a path that many Chinese game developers are already trying to follow with increasing success.

Second, the game’s popularity reflects changing consumer preferences within China. According to Niko Partners’ 2024 China Gamer Behavior & Market Insights Report, free-to-play games accounted for nearly 90% of total gamer spending last year, with mobile devices accounting for 68.7% of total spending and over 90% of gamers. The unblocking of devices in 2014, the arrival of the international version of Steam, the shift to digital distribution, the increasing propensity to pay for content, high-quality single- and multiplayer game offerings, online connectivity requirements (which prevent piracy), local payment methods, and regional pricing are all key drivers of premium gaming adoption in China. In short, paid games are making up a larger share of revenue each year.

Games like Overwatch (2016), one of the first successful premium games in China that sold over 10 million units, showed that Chinese gamers are willing to pay for premium experiences, Black Legend: Wukong This trend is further reinforced. While consoles have historically been niche in China, despite the console ban being lifted in 2014, the PlayStation 5 is selling twice as fast as its predecessor in the country and has become a well-established platform alongside the Nintendo Switch. A limited-time PlayStation 5 promotion running this week has led to a surge in console sales, further reinforcing the changing preferences of gamers in the market.

Finally, Black Legend: Wukong The success of the AA/AAA game is not just a one-off success story, but rather represents the growing capabilities and ambitions of Chinese game development studios and their ability to compete on the global stage. While non-China-based developers will need to recognize and compete with these new challenges, it also represents an opportunity for collaboration and learning. At the same time, the game’s success as a premium title signals a broader shift in market dynamics within China, and represents an opportunity for non-China-based developers to capitalize on the geographic expansion and existing AA/AAA offerings.

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