Game Science’s Chinese action RPG Black Myth: Wukong has officially surpassed 30 million copies sold worldwide, one year and nine months after its release. The source of the latest statistics, surprisingly, was the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, which published the data in an official report. Game Science itself remained silent for almost two years—the last official figure was 10 million copies sold in the first three days after launch.
The scale of this catastrophe for its competitors is clear when compared directly. Elden Ring, for example, took over three years to reach the same milestone of 30 million units. The popular hit Cyberpunk 2077 reached 25 million units sold by October 2023. The action game about the Monkey King accomplished this feat almost two years faster than industry giants. A true triumph for a young team, where the average age of its employees is only 32.
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Global Success of Black Myth Wukong and Its Market Impact
The main sensation here lies not in the overall box office, but in the geography of gamers’ distribution. More than half of the game’s circulation—over 15 million copies—went to foreign markets. This breaks the long-held stereotype that large-scale Chinese single-player projects are only of interest to local audiences. Typically, local titles rarely exceed 30% of their revenue in foreign markets. Here, the situation is fundamentally different.
Reasons for the Chinese Action Game Record Sales
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Synchronized launch: The worldwide release took place simultaneously in all key regions on August 20, 2024, on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, WePlay) and PlayStation 5. The game reached Xbox Series X|S consoles exactly one year later.
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Localization and pricing: High-quality translation into foreign languages was accompanied by a flexible regional pricing policy.
Black Myth Wukong Popularity on PC and Consoles
As expected, the PC version was the main driver of sales, dominating Steam. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 version performed well outside of China, captivating Western audiences. However, one shouldn’t forget their homeland—on Steam, for example, over 90% of reviews were left by Chinese users, giving the project a rock-solid foundation.
Developing Chinese Game Development Following the Game Success
The project is officially recognized as the first full-fledged Chinese AAA hit. The success of Black Myth: Wukong triggered a chain reaction in the industry—for example, the creators of the highly-anticipated Phantom Blade Zero easily raised additional funding. The local video game market now firmly holds second place globally, and Wukong’s story has become the main driver of this growth. The game cost over 300 million yuan (around $43 million) to produce, which was considered a huge risk for China’s domestic industry, but the costs were more than recouped.
Black Myth Wukong Among the Best Selling Games
30 million copies in 21 months isn’t just a record; it’s among the absolute elite. For comparison:
Awards weren’t long in coming either. At The Game Awards 2024, Black Myth: Wukong lost to Astro Bot for the “Game of the Year” title, but took home the award for Best Action Game. And at the Steam Awards 2024, the game won “Game of the Year” – voted for by players themselves.
Announcement of a New Game Game Science Black Myth Zhong Kui
The creators aren’t stopping there. At Gamescom 2025, the studio announced their next project, Black Myth: Zhong Kui. This will be another single-player action RPG based on ancient Chinese mythology. However, it is not a direct sequel to the Monkey King’s adventures, but rather a standalone story set in the same universe.
Development details for the new Black Myth Zhong Kui
The game is currently in the very early stages of development. The developers have only released a dark and stylish CGI trailer, but no specific details—including a release date—are yet available. However, the developers have already confirmed that the Monkey King’s journey is not over, but Zhong Kui will have its own identity and unique experience.
Tencent Has Acquired the Stake of Game Science Developers
Following the enormous success of Wukong, investor attention to the studio is only growing. In May 2026, Tencent acquired Game Science shares from Hero Games and now owns 24% of the company, becoming the sole outside shareholder. Previously, Tencent held only 5%. The deal’s value is not disclosed, but as Hero Games co-founder Daniel Wu points out, if his company were selling its stake now, it would be in the billions of yuan.
The outcome is clear: Black Myth: Wukong has once again proven itself a hit for the entire industry. Chinese developers have proven they can create world-class games that sell not only in their home country but around the world. And Game Science, it seems, is just getting started.
