Black Myth Wukong Smashed The Steam Charts

The Chinese Blockbuster Black Myth Wukong Has Broken The Steam’s Record

The long-anticipated action RPG with soulslike mechanics Black Myth Wukong by Chinese developers from GameScience and Tencent as a major publisher. The promotion campaign and numerous trailers were insane. The title looked very promising and the release of Black Myth Wukong on August 20, 2024, on PS5 and PC proved these expectations to the fullest. 

It is all over the gaming news. GameScience’s title had already managed to break records on Steam by responding with over 1.4 million concurrent players almost instantly since the launch. Yes, you read that right—1.4 million! This achievement ranks the beautiful Chinese action RPG in fourth place on Steam’s all-time Top Records chart, right behind multiplayer blockbusters like Counter-Strike 2, Palworld, and PUBG: Battlegrounds.

Just to put that in perspective, Black Myth: Wukong has outperformed at the same time some of the biggest names in gaming, such as Elden Ring (952,523 players at its peak), Dota 2 (boasting a crazy number of players at 1,291,328), and even Lost Ark (with an insane number of players at 1,324,761). 

This game outperforms the very best titles during the first release date. What makes it all the more impressive is that Wukong is a single-player game, while Souls-like is not really the kind of genre known for a broad audience of MMO fans and casual gamers.

So, what is fueling this incredible surge in popularity for Black Myth Wukong? A huge marketing push in China regarding the game seems to be the case. The piece about the game was even featured on the national news in China. Based as it is on the rich mythology of Journey to the West, it’s no wonder that Chinese gamers support their national hit – Black Myth: Wukong. 

But that’s not all. Today, the game has also been released on the PS5, so the numbers could skyrocket even higher. And if it does equally well on Sony’s console as on Steam, Black Myth: Wukong is quite likely to be one of the year’s biggest success stories. The reviews were quite different, though. Just check the overview of Black Myth Wukong reviews on Reddit.

Controversy around the Release of Black Myth Wukong

Sure, no success story is without its share of controversy. Netizens believe that some popular gamers and YouTubers are currently under the impression that the game title has been targeted unjustly by the Western press. Arguments run that because Black Myth Wukong doesn’t conform to certain DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) standards, it has been met with resistance from the so-called “woke” press.

There were even rumors that an IGN review initially had a low score for the game which in reality turned out to be a fake. 

Then there is the rumor that Black Myth: Wukong was the game Sweet Baby Inc. consulted on and eventually pulled out, but this has been one of the wildest rumors about this game. They claimed the game didn’t have any strong female characters and enough diverse nationalities.

And still, under all this “woke” drama, Black Myth: Wukong is doing great commercially and is serving up a treat to gamers. You can almost touch the hype – Black Myth Wukong really achieved amazing results as a Chinese game from a comparatively small team. Keep an eye on this title since many gaming media already call it a solid Game of The Year nominee.