The launch of Black Myth Wukong has surprised the entire video game industry. Although it was known that this first AAA game from China had potential to perform well, perhaps no one anticipated it would break so many records. As of now, Game Science’s title has surpassed 18 million copies sold (on PC and PS5) in just 15 days, with an additional 8 million sales the following week, reaching 10 million sales within its first three days.
According to a Bloomberg report, the game has generated over $800 million for the Chinese studio, and revenue continues to grow as the game maintains high popularity. Bloomberg also reports that the game’s budget is approximately $70 million over six years of development, which is roughly 2 to 3 times less than typical Western AAA titles. Additionally, it is noted that the development team was significantly smaller compared to those of American blockbusters; for example, Game Science began production with a team of 13 people in 2018 and 2019, increased to 41 by 2020, and reached 140 by 2024. This provides insight into the working methods and funding strategies of Western studios…