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Action RPG Black Myth: Wukong from Chinese developer Game Science has made a historic debut on Steam, quickly becoming the most-played single-player game ever on the platform.
Within hours of its release, the game reached a peak of 1,567,318 concurrent players, surpassing the records previously held by all-time favorite titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring.
The game, inspired by Chinese mythology and the classic tale Journey to the West, has not only intrigued players with its rich storytelling, stunning graphics, and challenging gameplay but also set new benchmarks for single-player engagement on Steam.
At the time of writing, Black Myth: Wukong stands as the fourth most-played game in Steam’s history, following only multiplayer giants like PUBG: Battlegrounds, Palworld, and Counter-Strike 2.
However, the game’s launch has not been without controversy. Before its release, Game Science CEO Féng Jì was criticized over past comments involving sexist and misogynistic language.
More recently, a leaked document sent to influencers and media outlets raised eyebrows for asking them to avoid discussing “politics,” “feminist propaganda,” or the COVID-19 pandemic in their content related to the game.
Despite these issues, Black Myth: Wukong has so far garnered nearly 46,000 user reviews on Steam, with the vast majority rating it as “very positive.”
The game’s success on Steam is probably just the beginning, as it has also launched on other platforms where selling and user engagement data is not immediately available, including PlayStation 5, Tencent’s WeGame, and the Epic Games Store, with an Xbox version on the way.
As Black Myth: Wukong continues to gain traction, it is poised to be one of the biggest game releases of 2024, showing the growing influence of Chinese developers in the global gaming industry.
