Controversy Hangs Over 'Black Myth: Wukong' and Its Studio Amidst Critical and Commercial Success

Most of the major gaming releases of 2024 have come and gone, with highly anticipated titles like Tekken 8, Persona 3: Reload, and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth being released within weeks of each other at the beginning of the year. With little else on the horizon for any platform for the remainder of the year in terms of big-budget AAA gaming, all eyes have been on Black Myth: Wukong as one of the last major releases of the year. However, the game's success has been marred by controversy.

Released on Aug. 20, 2024, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG that adapts the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, in which the monkey man protagonist Sun Wukong defies his new godhood to live a peaceful life only to incur the wrath of the Celestial Court who ascended him.

The game quickly became one of the fastest-selling games of all time. However, the game has sparked divisiveness among gamers.

In the midst of the pre-release praise that Black Myth: Wukong enjoyed from its previews, IGN published a disturbing expose about the game's Chinese studio, Game Science. The November 2023 article alleged that many team members engaged in sexist remarks, misogyny, and inappropriate behavior.

According to the article, the studio released recruitment posters that featured sexually suggestive images and harmful statements. Some have also accused the team of berating female gamers.

Following the release of the article, Game Science went into defend and explain mode. They claimed that the examples of sexism used in the IGN article were mistranslated and taken out of context. Other publications even defended some of their past comments, arguing that though these statements were immature, they should not be interpreted as outwardly sexist.

Though Game Science's responses to IGN's report have been dubious at best, they haven't exactly beaten the allegations with Wukong's release.

On Aug. 19, 2024, a day before the game's launch, IGN caught wind of an email sent out to streamers and content creators by Wukong's marketing team. Reportedly, streamers were given many do's and don'ts to abide by while publicly playing the game. While some don'ts were pretty standard, such as discouraging players from insulting others or using offensive language, others were far more charged.

Creators were asked not to include "politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda" or anything that would "[instigate] negative discourse." Players were also asked not to use words such as "quarantine," "isolation," or "COVID-19," and they were also asked not to discuss any of China's game industry policies.

This level of censorship is largely unprecedented for a major release, even for China's strict censorship laws. Forbidding players from discussing world events or the controversial culture surrounding China's game dev scene seems as good an admission to Game Science's controversies as any.

Yet the dark clouds hanging over Wukong have done little to hamper the game's success. Three days after its launch, Black Myth: Wukong sold over 10 million units and reached 3 million concurrent players.

Some have even praised the game's censorship policies, citing misguided disdain for "DEI" within gaming communities.

For the most part, it seems as if Black Myth: Wukong is here to stay, with many even regarding it as a "Game of the Year" contender for awards season. For any bigoted gamers out there, worry not. Despite all of your victim-posturing, your culture of flagrant misogyny and blaming diversity seems to be alive and well.