Chinese video game hit 'Black Myth' sells 10 mn copies in three days
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00:00Over 10 million copies sold in its first three days of sales.
00:04It is China's most successful single-player video game to date.
00:08After 53 million dollars in pre-sales prior to its launch Tuesday,
00:12Black Myth Wukong is flying off shelves and raking in millions.
00:17I'm stunned. In my decades-old career here, I've never experienced this.
00:22The game is China's first triple-A production, or a major big-budget video game.
00:27Highly anticipated since its teaser was released four years ago,
00:31Black Myth Wukong is based on Journey to the West, a classic of Chinese literature.
00:36It is about a mythological monkey king who can shapeshift,
00:40and has gained supernatural powers through Taoism.
00:43Highlighting Chinese folklore, the game has quickly become a source of pride.
00:47But it's also a challenge for audiences that have not read the 16th century novel it's based on.
00:52Judging from the first wave of overseas media reviews of the game,
00:58points were mostly deducted because players need to read Journey to the West
01:02before they can better understand the game. This is a challenge.
01:05We need a process to slowly let overseas players and media understand our culture.
01:11Already a commercial success, the game has also created controversy
01:15over a do's and don'ts list that was released by the game's co-publisher.
01:19Reposted on social media, it instructed streamers to avoid discussions that include
01:24politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization,
01:28and other content that instigates negative discourse.
01:31Some players have boycotted the game, citing censorship. Others have defied the directives.
01:36With over a hundred being banned on Chinese social media
01:40for breaking guidelines in discussing Black Myth Wukong.