Featured Image Credit: Game Science
Games are set to go 'ape' for another major AAA adventure, and while the release date is presumably years away, one of 2024's biggest and most controversial games is officially getting a sequel.
The future video game slate is a packed one, but even as we rev our engines for Grand Theft Auto 6, others are looking further ahead to releases like Gears of War: E-Day, Marvel's Wolverine, and The Elder Scrolls VI as just some of the AAA titles that will have us emptying our wallets in anticipation.
There's been a recent boom in the Soulslike genre, and even though this has largely been led by FromSoftware's Elden Ring, Lies of P, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and others have continued the trend. Although some would argue Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong isn't a full-blown Soulslike, it definitely has Soulslike elements.
Released in 2024, the action-RPG broke records for the highest bandwidth usage on Steam and entered The Guinness World Records as the "Fastest-selling videogame based on a classic novel" after selling 20 million units in its first month alone.
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Black Myth: Wukong stormed to over 25 million sales in its lifetime, so was anyone shocked that we're getting a sequel? Announced with a glossy cinematic trailer at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Game Science confirmed Black Myth: Zhong Kui is on the way.
Host Geoff Keighley said Zhong Kui is "the ghost-catching god who wanders between hell and earth," with the sequel being set against the backdrop of the Zhong Kui Banishing Evil Chinese folklore.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui is currently in early development, and despite there being no release date, the good news is that Keighley suggested there's still a DLC for the first game on the way.
While there's no escaping the record-breaking success of Black Myth: Wukong, it was also caught in a storm of controversy over comments made by Game Science, as well as bizarre stipulations for those who wanted to review the game early.
There was much celebration from Black Myth: Wukong being China's 'first' AAA game, but the Shenzhen and Hangzhou-based developer found itself in the firing line when it told reviewers they couldn't mention news and politics, the COVID-19 pandemic, or 'feminist propaganda'.
As the lengthy list of rules was shared on social media, others pointed to a November 2023 article from IGN, claiming that Game Science employees were embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment and misogyny.
There were multiple examples shared on the Chinese social media site Weibo, showing how Game Science staff had made comments about 'genitalia and sexual innuendos'.
In particular, concern was flagged over statements made by Game Science co-founder Feng Ji, who mentioned erections, fellatio, and getting 'wet'.
These resurfaced in the aftermath of Wukong's launch rules, although it was said these parameters couldn't be enforced. Some decided to poke fun at it, with one launch day stream from MOONMOON got 324,124 views and was titled "Covid-19 Isolation Taiwan (Is A Real Country) Feminism Propaganda."
Further discourse raged when the pro-Gamergate r/KotakuInAction included a thread that read: "Let me tell you, I am delighted just as the next guy that journalists and DEI advocates just can't cope with Wukong's success and are exposing to an unknown extent that they simply don't even finish games (the statement of Wukong not having female characters)."
Still, as well as Black Myth: Wukong winning a slew of awards and being praised for helping boost Chinese tourism for its depiction of real-life locales, it was an undeniable hit.
Let's just hope Black Myth: Zhong Kui isn't as controversial.
