Two weeks after its 19 August launch, Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong is still riding high, with the title making headlines by surpassing 10 million sales in just three days. For Daniel Wu, founder of Hero Games, the studio’s biggest external shareholder, this is just the first step in their journey to success.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Wu revealed that Game Science will be working on a DLC expansion in the veins of Shadow of the Erdtree, an Elden Ring DLC released back in June. “It won’t take another six years for the next chapter in what’s planned to be a series based on Chinese mythology – though that won’t be a sequel,” Wu said. According to Bloomberg, “Game Science is working on an expansion to Wukong, which will give it a chance to monetize the game a second time. 2022’s Elden Ring, a title with similar play style and design, has shown how the release of an expansion – this year’s Shadow of the Erdtree – can spur a fresh flurry of sales for the original.”
Apart from discussing future plans, Wu also spoke about the beginnings of both companies, namely Hero Games visit from Apple’s Tim Cook, which led to a project that ultimately failed, and Game Science’s “four failures in a row” that preceded the success it enjoys today.
It’s not all sunshine and roses though, as Wu also notes how “[2024] is the most gruesome year for China’s games industry ever”, with increasingly large numbers of ill-fated games never to see the light of day, seemingly abandoned as a result of the country’s economic difficulties.
With the success of Black Myth: Wukong, Wu hopes to ignite the passions of other game studios, inspiring more to create games showcasing China’s history and culture, as well as having the confidence needed to develop their games on consoles.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Natalie
Jake Su
