STORY: Wukong embarks on "journey to success"
SHOOTING TIME: Aug. 21-22, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 24, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:42
LOCATION: COLOGNE, Germany/Beijing
CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY/MARKET/CULTURE/ENTERTAINMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of "Black Myth: Wukong"
2. various of screen shots of "Black Myth: Wukong" on Steam
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): TUNAY GUZELAD, Social media and digital content specialist and owner of Iconical Creative Company, Türkiye
4. various of "Black Myth: Wukong" in Gamescom 2024
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OKEN, Visitor at Gamescom 2024
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DAMIAN SZYMANSKI, CEO of Polish game development studio Render Cube
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): DAMIAN SZYMANSKI, CEO of Polish game development studio Render Cube
8. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XIN ZHICHAO, Chinese student, University of Bonn
9. SOUNDBITE 6 (Turkish): TUNAY GUZELAD, Social media and digital content specialist and owner of Iconical Creative Company, Türkiye
10. various of "Black Myth: Wukong"
11. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): WU WEIHUA, Scholar of game culture studies, Communication University of China
12. various of "Black Myth: Wukong"
13. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): WU WEIHUA, Scholar of game culture studies, Communication University of China

STORYLINE:

The video game Black Myth: Wukong is a smash hit.

The Chinese action RPG (role-playing game) from Game Science sparked widespread excitement following its global debut on Tuesday and has soon become the most-played single-player game on Steam.

The response has been electrifying. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): TUNAY GUZELAD, Social media and digital content specialist and owner of Iconical Creative Company, Türkiye
"It features an incredible game engine that creates an immersive experience, making you feel as though you're inside a world of Chinese mythology. Playing the game with its stunning graphics and engaging action is truly enjoyable."

Social media platforms are abuzz with trending topics. 

Skilled players live stream gameplay.

Savvy retailers are launching promotional partnerships with the game's developer.

At this year's Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, fans have gathered to pose in front of a promotional board for the game, despite its developer's absence.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OKEN, Visitor at Gamescom 2024 
"It's nice to play and the graphic looks really good. The atmosphere is pretty nice. I'm actually interested in this character. Wukong is like a character you hear from other games as well."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DAMIAN SZYMANSKI, CEO of Polish game development studio Render Cube
"Currently, I'm the biggest fan of Soulslike games, so actually, Wukong is my thing. First I heard about the game, I was really looking forward to it, because back then, it was something new. I will go back, play it a lot."

Adapting the 16th-century great Chinese classic "Journey to the West," the game has ignited a surge of interest in traditional Chinese culture.

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): DAMIAN SZYMANSKI, CEO of Polish game development studio Render Cube
"I seriously love the story and history of China, so it's great to have something on the market that people love."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XIN ZHICHAO, Chinese student, University of Bonn
"I bought it on its release day and played for two days straight, yesterday and the day before. It's the first time that I've seen characters from traditional Chinese literature in an ARPG (action role-playing game) like this. I find it really immersive."

SOUNDBITE 6 (Turkish): TUNAY GUZELAD, Social media and digital content specialist and owner of Iconical Creative Company, Türkiye
"In my opinion, a game like this can definitely convey the essence of Chinese mythology to the world. Specifically, it can shed light on the Monkey King, (what Wukong is) known in the West, and his true nature as the mythical character Sun Wukong. The game provides a valuable way to showcase this grand mythological figure."

According to Wu Weihua, a scholar of game culture studies at Communication University of China, the success behind Black Myth: Wukong is not mythical.

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): WU WEIHUA, Scholar of game culture studies, Communication University of China
"(First,) 'Black Myth: Wukong' has taken something distinctly Chinese and made it universal. This game enables global users, players, and audiences to understand and appreciate the Chinese story.

Second, the game presents the classic story in a contemporary way. The storyline, characters, narrative, and life of major roles in the game do not just copy those in the classic literature. They have been modernized.

Last but not least, they (the game's developer) have turned something unfamiliar into familiar to players. They have brought distant, unreachable scenes right to our eyes."

Wu says although many games also integrate traditional Chinese cultural elements into their designs, not all can succeed.

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): WU WEIHUA, Scholar of game culture studies, Communication University of China
"I think games that can go viral share some common characteristics, such as the adoption of cutting-edge gaming technologies, the integration of rich cultural elements, and the reflection of diverse social contexts. They also possess the added value of knowledge. Moreover, games that can achieve massive popularity are often promoted on various platforms targeting different users.

Third, popular games must provide players with wonderful experiences and cultural awareness. Every player can find interesting details from Black Myth: Wukong that are related to their personal life experience or cultural background.

We see many video producers use AI to visualize the texts of classic Chinese myths, folk stories, and classic literature. These technology-and-AI-oriented aesthetic styles are usually very Westernized, very unharmonious. However, in Black Myth: Wukong, designers have integrated aesthetic elements of Chinese painting into their designs. If they just simply put the classic texts of 'Journey to the West' into AI and used AI to design the scenes for them, I'm sure the game would not be as successful as it is today."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cologne, Germany and Beijing.
(XHTV)