China’s national economy is being boosted by the enormous success of the country’s first ever AAA video game production, 'Black Myth: Wukong'.
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00:00Meet Sun Wukong, a fictional 16th century monkey king whose video game rebirth is helping
00:08to boost China's economy. Sun is the titular hero of Black Myth Wukong, China's first AAA
00:15game and a certified smash hit. Within just three days of its release on August 20th,
00:21more than 10 million units have been sold. Now the game's become so popular, it's helping
00:27to drive a wave of business opportunities across multiple sectors. Take consumer goods
00:32for example. Although you might expect computer merchandise to be in high demand, other more
00:37surprising co-branded goods are also selling out fast. From hot coffee to stamps, bikes
00:44to clothing. Black Myth has really exceeded our expectations. For example, we've released
00:50the products for about a week or so, and the whole thing has sold almost as much as the
00:55other series has sold in a year. There's also been a boost in tourism. In Shanxi province,
01:02where most of the game is based, they're seeing a surge in Wukong-inspired travel, with gamers
01:07checking out architectural marvels at sites including the Yuangang Grottoes and the almost
01:131,000-year-old Yingjiang Wooden Pagoda. We came from Beijing and were astonished. The
01:20cultural confidence of the Chinese people needs to be learned and understood by our
01:23generation so as to be passed on. The tour guide was also talking about a Black Myth
01:29Wukong special tour. We are looking forward to it. Meanwhile, there's also been a surge
01:35in bookings at hotels that cater to gamers. Operators say many of their multi-person rooms
01:41have been sold out since it was released, even with some rates priced at more than double
01:46the normal level. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Black Myth's breakthrough
01:51could now inspire a new era for China's gaming industry, with a focus on even bigger, more
01:57ambitious projects which offer huge rewards, not just to developers, but to the Chinese
02:03economy as a whole. Ray Addison, CGTN, London.