Black Myth: Wukong continues to attract record-breaking numbers of players, establishing itself as the most-viewed game on Chinese livestreaming platforms on its first day of release.
According to Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, that’s a new record to go alongside its newly-minted accolade of being the most popular single-player game by peak concurrent users (PCCU) in Steam history.
Ahmad also points out that this success isn’t just limited to digital, either.
“Physical editions of the game, including collector’s and deluxe versions, sold out within seconds on JD.com, as more than 700,000 gamers signed up for a chance to purchase the limited set of 30,000 copies,” he said.
“The broader implications of this success cannot be overlooked,” Admad added.
“It signals that Chinese studios are ready to compete directly with established Western and Japanese developers in the premium AAA space. Game Science’s transition from mobile game development to creating a world-class AAA title, backed by heavyweights like Tencent and Hero Games, is a path that many Chinese game developers are already trying to follow with growing success.”
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Black Myth: Wukong has also sparked a demand for PS5 consoles in China, with sales of Sony’s system twice that of the same period last year.
Black Myth: Wukong is now Steam’s second-biggest game of all time, clocking up a staggering peak of 2.3m concurrent players, having pushed both Counter-Strike 2 and Palworld down a place. Only PUBG: Battlegrounds boasts a higher concurrent peak of 3.2m, and that’s a multiplayer battle royale.
Black Myth: Wukong secured three out of five stars in Eurogamer’s Black Myth: Wukong review.
“Its dramatic and spectacular boss fights just about keep Black Myth: Wukong afloat, but behind all its glitz and glamour is a frustratingly hollow and rudderless action game,” Katharine wrote at the time.