There’s been a big debate recently about single-player titles versus live-service video games in the industry. Many developers and publishers are aiming to make more games in the latter “bubble,” while many others believe that single-player titles are best for the industry and gamers as a whole. In the end, it’s going to be certain numbers that prove whether one side is right or wrong. To that end, the single-player side has just gotten a huge victory thanks to Black Myth Wukong. The long-awaited title was recently released on console and PC, and the launch numbers that it boasts are worthy of the Monkey King!
As noted by the game’s official Twitter handle, the title has sold over ten million units since its launch. The game dropped on August 19th, which means that it sold an incredible amount of units in just about four days time. Those are the kinds of sales numbers you typically only hear for AAA-exclusive titles, yet this one is a multi-platform game!
You’ll notice that there’s another element to this reveal, where the team noted how three million people were playing the game simultaneously! That’s interesting, as it’s not a multiplayer or co-op title, but there are some small online components, which is why they’re able to track such things. However, you can also play the game entirely offline, so the number may be even higher than that.
There are many elements to why this particular game release is so important. One of the first is that this title has been in development for about six years. The game started in 2018, and they didn’t show off the game’s first trailer until 2020. Another key part of the tale is that it was originally meant to be built on Unreal Engine 4 but then shifted to Unreal Engine 5. As such, the game boasts incredibly detailed and realistic graphics, ones that many people have praised upon playing the title.
Arguably, the most important element, though, is that Black Myth Wukong is truly based on the legendary Chinese mythology story about Sun Wukong. That story inspired many elements of pop culture, including numerous anime. The game faithfully recreates many beats from that story, including allowing you to enjoy the title in Mandarin! According to the team, this will be the first entry in a “shared universe” focusing on multiple stories in Chinese mythology.
Given the sales of Sun Wukong’s title, they’re off to a great start!