Conceived after 4 years and becoming a big “explosion” in the global gaming market, Black Myth: Wukong has conquered players with unprecedented achievements. This unexpected success is not a “luck” because behind it is a story of thorough investment from product quality to communication strategy.
An Action Role-Playing Game inspired by the classic novel Journey to the West by the famous writer Wu Cheng’en, Black Myth: Wukong is China’s first AAA game (A lot of Money, A lot of Time and A lot of Resources), researched and developed for 4 years by a secretive game company Game Science. It was Black Myth: Wukong that brought Game Science’s name to the spotlight and made the global gaming world look up with a series of impressive achievements. Together with MarkKnow, “unveil” the success of this game according to the Marketing Mix (4P) strategy: Product – Price – Place – Promotion
Product: Product Quality is invested appropriately
Many manufacturers and players consider this to be one of the most beautiful graphic games today . Because Black Myth: Wukong uses advanced Unreal Engine 5 Technology, allowing the game to display vivid and detailed images. According to the revelation, more than 1.2 billion models have been designed over 4 years just for the armor of the Monkey King. The elements and descriptions in the game are meticulously cared for, the lighting effects, and the subtle shadows create depth for the scenery and space of the game, creating a magical world with a strong Asian character and extremely mysterious and majestic.
From the in-game graphics to the teasers and promotional videos, every image is meticulously crafted by Game Science to every detail with incredible realism. The publisher wants to ensure the player experience is exactly as advertised, avoiding the situation of “false advertising” like many other games. Through that, Game Science has demonstrated a strong commitment and vision in building a professional image through creating products with quality equal to, or even superior to, many famous AAA studios.
In addition, Game Science cleverly inserted a strong Chinese cultural imprint into the game. Based on the classic novel “Journey to the West” which is already too familiar, Black Myth: Wukong has created a new plot that is “familiar yet strange”. Although it does not retell the story of Tang Monk and his disciples, the main character will also experience challenging ordeals related to urgent current issues such as: economic inequality, environmental degradation and exploitation by powerful industries… A plot from the 16th century but transformed to fit the context of the 21st century.
A series of details imbued with Chinese culture such as temples, pagodas and village halls… are included in the game’s setting. The publisher even carefully researched every action such as “burning incense” to the land god to save the game, making viewers endlessly praise. Building closely on cultural roots is one of the key points that helped Black Myth: Wukong spread globally.
The criteria of Product are always mentioned based on Concept (Unique content) and Function (Outstanding function, satisfying users) . The quality of the game is meticulously invested and worthy, along with the unique concept from the cultural story familiar to all ages, helping Black Myth: Wukong go beyond the framework of a simple entertainment game and become a tool to spread Chinese culture to the world.
Price: Commercial Value and a Series of “Telling” Numbers
By the time Game Science launched, on launch day, the number of global concurrent online players on the Steam platform had exceeded 2.4 million.
Notably, after only 3 days of release, more than 10 million copies of Black Myth: Wukong were sold and the number of concurrent players on the Steam digital game store surpassed other popular AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring. Thereby, Black Myth: Wukong proudly became the most attractive single-player game in the world.
Black Myth’s Pricing Strategy: Instead of the typical “freemium” model in China (free and low price), Black Myth: Wukong is sold as a one-time purchase at 268 yuan (about 37 USD) for the standard version and 328 yuan (about 46 USD) for the premium version. Specific product pricing and platform restrictions help users display and experience the game smoothly, avoid interruptions, and also bring specific revenue to Game Science.
To date, Black Myth: Wukong has sold more than 20 million copies globally via the Steam game distribution platform, generating more than $961 million, according to data from video game market research firm Video Game Insights. Not only that, the popularity and appeal of “Wukong” also contributed to a 25% increase in overseas revenue for Chinese games in August this year compared to the same period last year.
The success of Black Myth: Wukong has also driven growth and delivered exceptional results and value to a number of industries. For example, PS5 sales at Sony PlayStation’s official flagship store on Tmall increased by more than 100% year-on-year when the game launched. 3C digital console sales increased by 80%, while searches for PS5 on Taobao’s second-hand platform Xianyu have skyrocketed by more than 300% since August. The tourism industry based on locations featured in the game has also had a positive impact, with ticket sales increasing by more than 300% year-on-year. Many domestic and foreign brands have also caught on to this unique strategy, such as Luckin Coffee, Lenovo, Didi Bike, etc.
Chinese Tourism “Attractive” thanks to BlackMyth: Wukong
Boosting the Stock Value of Companies: With the opening of the pre-order program for “Black Myth: Wukong,” the stock prices of related companies have increased sharply. For example, the stock price of Huayi Brothers, an early investor in Game Science, increased by 19% on the day, with a cumulative increase of 43% since the opening of the pre-order program. Or Zhejiang Publishing, the company responsible for content censorship, also increased by 10%, while the stock price of CITIC Publishing, the unit that publishes the game’s art book, also saw a 20% increase.
Place: Release on Top Platforms
Good games need to be placed in the right places – that’s the special point in the distribution strategy of Black Myth: Wukong. While most of the video games in China are played on smartphones and personal computers, the first version of this game is limited to Sony PlayStation 5 and PC (via Steam, Epic Games, Tencent’s Wegame platforms).
The partnership with leading game distribution platforms such as Steam and Epic Games Stores has brought this new title to popular and potential sales channels, reaching millions of gamers worldwide. At the same time, it is on par with current popular AAA titles. The game’s accessibility is expanded, pre-ordering, ordering and following discussions in the international gaming community is also easier.
Choosing reputable, international publishers is also a way for Game Science to elevate the position of its products, build trust in the gaming community and create the premise for future success.
a. Teasing Phase with Unique Warm Up Activity
Instead of releasing fragmented, short information, Game Science released a nearly 13-minute gameplay clip that gives viewers a comprehensive and realistic look at the game. With such a long duration, players can experience the game indirectly and quickly understand the plot, as well as be satisfied with the game’s graphics. This created a wave of excitement and discussion on social networking platforms, contributing to making Black Myth: Wukong a phenomenon in the gaming community.
In addition, discussions about the “conspiracy theory” story of Sun Wukong have made many people interested in this character again. The ambiguity about the story that has never been “public” has urged players to wait, speculate and be excited.
b. Choose a Smart Release Time
Four years ago, Game Science chose the mid-summer of 2020 to announce Black Myth: Wukong. This was a “low season” for the gaming industry, with few AAA titles announced or released. By taking advantage of the gap, Black Myth: Wukong avoided direct competition with other major titles, while still receiving widespread coverage and maximum media attention.
Game Science headquarters – the “birthplace” of Black Myth: Wukong
Four years later, Game Science officially launched Black Myth: Wukong in mid-August – a less busy summer time for the global gaming market. This placed the game in a favorable position to be mentioned at major gaming events taking place later in the year, helping to maintain community interest for a longer period of time.
c. Promotional Activities on Diverse Online Platforms
Social platforms: From the very first day of announcement, Black Myth: Wukong’s Marketing strategy was carefully prepared with the goal of optimizing its ability to spread on social networks.
- The 13-minute gameplay clip on Youtube has garnered 1.4 million views despite being released 4 years ago.
- The game’s final trailer 1 month ago quickly reached more than 2.6 million views .
- Black Myth: Wukong’s own Youtube channel, after 4 years with only 18 “teaser” videos, has also reached 111,000 subscribers – a number that speaks to the gaming community’s anticipation for “Wu Kong” even before its release.
Black Myth: Wukong Youtube Account
According to the revelation, on China’s Bilibili platform, the game’s trailer has surpassed 55 million views . This makes Black Myth: Wukong the most viewed game trailer of all time on this platform.
In addition to promoting on Youtube, game introduction videos are also cut into short, impressive clips, suitable for the characteristics of each social networking platform such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, or Twitter. On the TikTok platform alone, the hashtag #Blackmythwukong has had nearly 160k posts in just over 1 month since the game was released.
The well-produced animated film was released shortly after the game’s release.
Not only investing in producing short films for each chapter’s storyline, this game also revealed the animated series “6 Episodes – Black Myth: Wukong” which was broadcast exclusively on the BiliBili platform in China on September 17. The fact that the film was broadcast right after the game’s launch shows that this project was nurtured and developed in parallel with the game production process.
Influencer/KOL: Game Science has leveraged the power of influencers/streamers and content creators in the gaming community to create a media “boost” for Black Myth: Wukong. Many streamers, YouTubers, and bloggers have shared exclusive content or been given early access to game demos. They have shared many gameplay videos, experiences, reviews, analysis… which further increased the appeal and diversity of content and discussions about this game. From there, it has spread more widely in the gaming community around the world.
d. Offline Marketing Activities through Major Gaming Events
Not only does it appeal to digital platforms, Game Science also cleverly takes advantage of major offline gaming events such as E3, Gamescom, or Tokyo Game Show… to release new information about the game. The presence of “Wu Kong” at major gaming venues is not only a guarantee of the game’s quality and the publisher’s reputation, but also makes the game’s name famous far and wide.
e. Building a Strong Community
Black Myth: Wukong has created a large and enthusiastic fan community. In the global market, there are dozens of gaming community groups for this game, with tens to hundreds of thousands of members. Among them, there is a group called “Black Myth Wukong Game Community” with more than 1 million members and dozens of posts shared every day.
Black Myth: Wukong Comunity
f. Cooperate with Brands in Communication Campaigns
The collaboration between “Black Myth: Wukong” and Luckin Coffee: Luckin Coffee introduced a special Americano coffee called “Black Myth Signature coconut cloud Americano” along with products such as cups, 3D posters, gloves or bags with the game’s signature image. This product was sold out on the day of its launch and caused the Luckin system to almost crash, and then it took another 15 days to replenish the stock. This shows the great appeal of products related to this game.
Special drink “Black Myth Signature coconut cloud Americano”
Black Myth: Wukong’s collaboration with tech giant NVIDIA: With the unique feature of only being playable on PC and Playstation 5, the Black Myth: Wukong fever has boosted the gaming hardware market in China. NVIDIA is also not out of the game when it collaborates with graphics card manufacturing partners, giving away the game “Black Myth: Wukong” to customers who buy GeForce RTX 40 Series cards. The American chip technology giant also said that they have supported the enhancement of Black Myth: Wukong’s graphics and technology to the highest level.
Black Myth: Wukong x NVIDIA
After the successful launch of Black Myth: Wukong, a number of brands launched joint advertising campaigns to take advantage of the craze, such as Didi Bike, Lenovo, etc.
Black Myth MoonCakes: Game Science recently surprised the gaming community and food lovers when they collaborated with Chinese domestic mooncake brand Daoxiangcun to launch a mooncake collection inspired by the company’s own game. Images of mooncakes with monkey faces and familiar characters in the game quickly became the center of attention on social networks. The unique combination of the fantasy game world and traditional food has created a new craze, attracting the attention of many fans.
Mooncakes inspired by the game
Despite its success, the process of researching, producing and bringing Black Myth: Wukong to the public also encountered many difficulties. Accordingly, Game Science was involved in many accusations related to journalists and scandals related to technical errors and game production. However, instead of hiding it like many other manufacturers, Game Science directly faced it, taking advantage of this to heat up the name of Black Myth Wukong for 4 years. Not only that, the media “battles” between the Chinese publisher and many American game manufacturers also consumed a lot of ink from the parties involved. But this invisibly became the perfect media tool for the game.
Conclusion:
Finally, Game Science has proven to users the consistency in quality of every aspect of Marketing from the product itself to the successful communication strategy Mix 4P. Black Myth: Wukong still has a long journey ahead and surely the achievements of this game will explode and make the global gaming community even more amazed.
Comment Policy: We truly value your comments and appreciate the time you take to share your thoughts and feedback with us.
Note: Comments that are identified as spam or purely promotional will be removed.
To enhance your commenting experience, consider creating a Gravatar account. By adding an avatar and using the same e-mail here, your comments will feature a unique and recognizable avatar, making it easier for other members to identify you.
Please use a valid e-mail address so you can receive notifications when your comments receive replies.
