Black myth: Wukong could drive Chinese investment in big-budget games

Zhou now sees an opportunity to change the situation in the domestic industry. “Black Myth’s success will definitely bring more funds into the sector, which will make more game developers willing to try to develop such large projects,” he said.

However, not everyone can benefit from it to the same extent.

“Mature investors will choose mature teams,” Zhou said. “So resources will continue to converge toward the best game developers.”

Olivia Qin, a Shenzhen-based mobile game developer who specializes in simulation games, said Black Myth’s success “definitely boosts the confidence of Chinese game developers.”

“It proves that even for those who work in genres that are considered low-profit, it can still yield good results if they put their heart into it,” she said.

Qin added, however, that she would not consider making AAA games herself. “The cost is too high and it takes too long,” she said. “Not every small studio can get investment from Tencent.”

Game developers remain cautious in speculating about when the next AAA title will hit China, especially one that has the potential to become the next global hit.

Black Myth’s success “can be replicated, but that period could be very long,” Chan said. “Game Science has spent about a decade accumulating experience and skill in making games like this.”

Zhou said several major single-player titles are currently in development and are expected to launch within three years. But for something on the scale of Black Myth: Wukong, “it could take nine years, optimistically,” he said.

This article was originally published on SCMP.