The feat of replicating Black Myth: Wukong's success is not easily achieved. The game's influence on the console gaming market is fading. According to the China Game Industry Report released during ChinaJoy, China's console game market revenue declined in the first half of this year, primarily due to the cooling of the 2024 hit title Black Myth: Wukong, as no other game in the past two years has stepped up to carry the mantle. While a large number of domestic game developers were inspired by Black Myth's success, copying that success is proving far more difficult.
The console gaming market has once again fallen into a lull, marked by uneven performance. In the first half of this year, China's console game market generated actual sales revenue of 961 million yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 7%. During ChinaJoy, Zhang Yijun, Director of the Game Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, stated that the main reason for the decline is the gradual cooling of the two-year-old blockbuster Black Myth: Wukong, coupled with a lack of strong follow-up new titles.
Black Myth: Wukong was launched globally in August 2024. The game, which cost over 300 million yuan to develop, became a phenomenal hit upon release, selling nearly 30 million copies worldwide. Notably, it was not produced by gaming giants like Tencent or NetEase, but by a small to medium-sized enterprise, Game Science. Although sales of the game are still increasing, with Game Science announcing a 30% discount for the digital version across all platforms in early August, its peak moment has undoubtedly passed. Over the past two years, no single-player game in China has come close to the achievements of Black Myth: Wukong.
The most recent decent-performing single-player game is Mingmo: Yuanshui Zhiyu (The Ming Dynasty: Abyss of Feathers), which sold over 2 million copies across platforms including Steam and PS5 after its 2025 release. However, this is still a significant gap from Black Myth's nearly 30 million unit sales. Moreover, the development team behind this game was recently reported to have disbanded, with game producer Xia Siyuan also leaving. Pu Guannan, CEO of Star Shuangwu Software, told Yicai that, in terms of sales revenue, few domestic single-player games are currently close to Black Myth: Wukong. He was also inspired by Black Myth to begin developing the single-player game Whispers of Time and Space.
The performance of China's overall game market presents a stark contrast to the console game segment. According to data from the Game Committee, the Chinese game industry saw significant growth in the first half of this year, for both the domestic market and overseas games. The actual sales revenue of the domestic game market reached 188.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12%, primarily benefiting from the stability of the mobile gaming base. Chinese domestic games performed particularly well, with sales revenue of 163.3 billion yuan, up 16% year-on-year. Self-developed game exports also showed positive trends, with overseas market sales revenue reaching $12.3 billion in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 30%, thanks to the sustained operation of long-term products and stable contributions from new titles. In China's game export revenue, the United States, Japan, and South Korea accounted for 32.31%, 14.05%, and 7.48% respectively, totaling 53.84%, making them the primary target markets.
According to observations from You Zhihan, CEO of Appier, China's game export business is thriving, with an increasing overseas market share. Initially, it was difficult for Chinese game exports to penetrate the European, American, Japanese, and South Korean markets, so they first opened up opportunities in Southeast Asian countries. Now, You Zhihan believes that Chinese companies have mastered the key to making successful games in the top European and American markets, and these capabilities are being replicated across numerous Chinese game companies. "China's game exports have gradually shifted from the stage of 'whether they have the ability to enter overseas markets' to a new phase of 'how to continuously expand high-quality growth'," You Zhihan said. He believes that as product competitiveness continues to improve, the core issue for game companies is also shifting from simply acquiring more users to finding high-value players who are more likely to stay for the long term and continue to pay. The development of artificial intelligence is also expected to broadly enhance the game-making capabilities of Chinese companies. "The widespread use of AI will further accelerate the innovation capabilities of game companies," You Zhihan stated, adding that games are now inseparable from AI. "From initial gameplay design, to art and the construction of the entire scene, post-launch operations, and even customer service, AI can be used as an auxiliary tool."
When will the next Wukong appear? Black Myth: Wukong has inspired a large number of game producers. Before Black Myth's success, there was very little capital willing to invest in single-player games domestically, and there were few successful precedents for Chinese single-player games. "Currently, there is only one game that has achieved large-scale profitability, and that is Black Myth: Wukong. It invested over 300 million yuan, generated sales revenue of roughly 9 billion yuan, and made a profit of over 4 billion yuan, surpassing most movies. But this is the first time," Pu Guannan said. He believes Black Myth has inspired many people to join single-player game development and has greatly encouraged peers who were already developing such games. After all, if it cannot achieve profitability, a single-player game company will struggle to sustain itself. The rise of Black Myth has also brought many players from the mobile gaming market into single-player games.
High-quality single-player games require significant investment. Pu Guannan believes that if a single-player game's investment is too small, for example around 30 million yuan, it would be difficult to recoup the cost. This is because it would be insufficient to guarantee the quality of the graphics, and players would not have a strong willingness to pay. "In my personal opinion, a reasonable investment range is 200-300 million yuan. If the direction is correct and execution is reliable, it is highly likely to achieve a return of 2-3 times the investment," Pu Guannan said. Given the high level of competition in the Chinese mobile game market, Pu Guannan believes that the probability of success in developing console games is currently higher than in mobile games. The existing user base for single-player games in China may have already reached 8 million.
Talent reserves are a strength for the Chinese game industry. Liu Yang, producer of the game Gu Shen: Feng Lixi, told Yicai that Chinese employees are deeply involved in the development of most major game titles worldwide. While the core IP of these games remains in the hands of overseas game companies, China's abundant talent pool complements the production capabilities. In this model of cooperation, China is, to some extent, like the Foxconn of the gaming industry, while the most creative parts remain in the hands of the "Apple." Talent is the most indispensable resource in the gaming industry. Compared to the investment in human resources, the hardware investment for a game is almost negligible. According to Liu Yang's analysis, the labor cost in China's game industry is only one-third, or even one-fifth, of the equivalent cost overseas. This lays the foundation for the long-term development of Chinese games.
Wukong is a symbol of traditional Chinese culture, and many games and films are currently drawing inspiration from it. Will a new masterpiece emerge in the future? With the overall improvement in technology and aesthetics, Liu Yang believes that in the long term, there will be more and more good works. However, the probability of another Black Myth: Wukong appearing in the short term is low. "The game industry uses Black Myth: Wukong as a benchmark for sales, but in my heart, I consider it the ceiling of the industry. It's a position that cannot be reached just by creating something that follows the rules," Liu Yang said. The difficulty in replicating Black Myth: Wukong also lies in the lengthy development cycle for high-quality games. For instance, Pu Guannan stated that his single-player game Whispers of Time and Space, adapted from a novel, will not be released until 2029 under the best circumstances. Black Myth: Wukong is a seed in China's game market, and patience is an indispensable part of the industry's development. "Just as it took ten years after the release of Star Wars for the second major sci-fi blockbuster film to appear," Pu Guannan said.
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