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Black Myth: Wukong, a Chinese-made stand-alone game based on the Chinese mythical novel Journey to the West, was launched globally on the 20th, becoming the focus of global gamers.The number of people playing the game online at the same time on Steam reached 2.337 million, setting a new record。

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning hosted a regular press conference on the 21st.A reporter asked, the video game "Black Myth: Wukong" has been popular in the gaming world since it was launched on Tuesday, and has left a deep impression on players with its cultural characteristics. How does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs view the impact of this game?

Mao Ning said: "Thank you for letting me pay attention to this game. From the name, this game is based on the famous Chinese classical literature "Journey to the West", which I think also reflects the appeal of Chinese culture."

The development took 7 years and the investment was 300 to 400 million yuan.

Analysts expect sales to exceed 2 billion yuan

What is a 3A game? 3A refers to "A lot of time" (a lot of development time), "A lot of resources" (a lot of resources), and "A lot of money" (a lot of money). A well-crafted 3A game can often bring a better experience to players. This type of game usually has a huge world view, beautiful graphics, rich content, and a profound plot.Previously,The Chinese console game market was previously almost entirely occupied by foreign games.Black Myth:The release of "Wukong" filled the gap of China's lack of 3A games.

The development cost of Black Myth: Wukong is very high, and the game is well made. According to Feng Ji, the producer of Black Myth: Wukong, the development cost of the game is about 15 million to 20 million yuan per hour. The team estimated that the overall game time is more than 15 hours, but the actual time is more than 1.5 times this time. According to this estimate,The development cost is at least 300 million to 400 million yuan.。

The success of the game is the result of a whopping 400 million yuan in cost plus seven years of polishing. Can such a huge investment pay off?

It is reported that the standard edition of "Black Myth: Wukong" is priced at 268 yuan, and the deluxe edition is priced at 328 yuan. As of the evening of the 20th, more than 3 million copies have been sold on Steam. Together with Wegame, Epic and PS platforms, the total sales volume has exceeded 4.5 million copies, with total sales exceeding 1.5 billion yuan.

But this is just the sales volume. To calculate whether the game has recovered its investment, we need to remove the platform commission. Steam, PS5, and Wegame all take 30%. Based on the cost of 400 million yuan, the game needs to have sales of more than 570 million yuan to break even. In this way, Black Myth: Wukong has recovered its investment on the day of its release, which is undoubtedly beyond expectations for a domestic 3A game.Some analysts estimate that based on the current sales performance, Black Myth: Wukong may sell about 8 million copies in the future. Calculated at 268 yuan per copy,The game's final sales will exceed 2 billion yuan。

Public information shows that Game Science, the producer of Black Myth: Wukong, was founded in 2014 by former core members of Tencent's DouZhengShen project, Feng Ji, Yang Qi and others. In the past few years, Game Science has launched several mobile games, including Hundred Generals and Art of War: Red Tide. Among them, Black Myth: Wukong, a stand-alone/console game based on the Journey to the West, is its flagship stand-alone game.

According to Tianyancha information, the current actual controller of Game Science is Feng Ji, who holds a 38.76% stake; the second largest shareholder is Shenzhen Youke Interactive Enterprise Management Center, which holds a 27.36% stake and is also controlled by Feng Ji. This also means that Feng Ji, as a startup team of the game, holds more than 66% of the shares.In addition, Hero Entertainment holds a 19% stake through its subsidiary Tianjin Hero Financial Holdings Technology Co., Ltd.; Tencent holds a 5% stake through its subsidiary.

Working hard for 7 years is not as profitable as playing mobile games for a few months

Why is it necessary to make domestic 3A games?

It seems that Black Myth: Wukong has a very good profit margin, with a cost of 400 million yuan and an estimated sales of 2 billion yuan. But in fact, the profitability of a single-player game with a buyout system is difficult to compare with the profitability of online games and mobile games that continue to make profits.For example, the DNF mobile game that was launched this year had an estimated revenue of 1.971 billion yuan on the App Store in just 41 days, which is almost the same as the final estimated sales of "Black Myth: Wukong".

A senior game player said,Mobile games are like TV dramas, they have fixed update requirementsTherefore, it is difficult to completely calm down and repeatedly polish the content. Even a masterpiece like "Genshin Impact" has the problem of uneven content quality in different versions.3A stand-alone games are like blockbuster movies, which require a long time of careful polishing.The higher the investment, the higher the risk. If you fail, you will lose everything. Even if you succeed, you will probably not make as much money as a hit TV series.

At present, we already have mobile games like "Genshin Impact" and "Honkai Impact 3" that have won TGA annual awards and become popular all over the world, but there is almost no 3A field. The emergence of "Black Myth: Wukong" fills this gap, just as "The Wandering Earth" fills the gap in my country's hard science fiction movies. "Some positions, if you don't occupy them, will be occupied by others." He said.

Just like the film and television industry,Asking top stars to buy big IPs to make TV series, web series or low-cost movies has low risks and high returns, which is naturally favored by capital. However, there are very few directors and companies willing to make a big production like "The Wandering Earth".。Therefore, in Black Myth:Before "Wukong", there had never been a 3A game developed independently in China.To some extent,The lack of 3A masterpieces for a long time is a reflection of the game industry's eagerness for quick success and instant benefits。As early as 2007, Game Science CEO Feng Ji published a long article titled "Who Murdered Our Games?", in which he severely criticized the current state of the game industry.A large part of the reason for the failure of self-developed games is related to the greedy nature of capital。

So why make 3A games?

According to China News Service, excellent 3A games can not only attract a huge group of game fans, but also often break down barriers within the game industry and become a carrier of cross-cultural communication.Industry insiders pointed out thatThis type of game not only provides entertainment, but also carries profound artistic and social connotations. It can stimulate extensive discussions, influence mainstream culture, and even shape a new cultural trend.。

For example, this game, which is based on Journey to the West, includes well-known ancient buildings in many parts of China. The architectural models were restored by the game team after field investigations, such as the Thousand-Armed Guanyin in Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing. Among them, Xiaoxitian, Jade Emperor Temple, Iron Buddha Temple, etc. are all taken from cultural relics all over China, triggering a wave of "check-in fever" in the cultural and tourism industry.

Zeng Tu, associate professor at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, analyzed that the combination of "game + ancient architecture" has precedents in the world. The game highly restores a large number of ancient Chinese buildings, and also gives Chinese and foreign players the opportunity to learn about ancient Chinese architecture.

In the view of Internet analyst Ding Daoshi,The success of the game "Black Myth: Wukong" further demonstrates that games are an important carrier for cultural promotion.It is based on the traditional Chinese Journey to the West, and has attracted the attention of global players through its exquisite graphics, rich plots and unique gameplay. In this way, it has further expanded the influence of China's four great classics around the world, allowing more people to understand and love China's traditional culture.

For a long time,3A games are monopolized by Europe, America and Japan. Understanding the story background of overseas games is a compulsory course for domestic players.For players, games are a "cross-cultural bridge". In the past, Chinese players have experienced this process of cross-cultural understanding. Now it is the turn of overseas players to learn "Journey to the West" and understand Chinese traditional culture.Foreign game media Gameranx commented:The game is full of surprises, and minor flaws cannot hide the excellence of the game.Some foreign gaming media also pointed out that they couldn't understand Black Myth:The story of "Wukong" is very confusing and needs to be supplemented in advance.

Overseas, game enthusiasts are also actively releasing videos on cultural interpretations of Black Myth: Wukong. Although some of the content may not be accurate, the creative team does not mind. "Games are a product that allows players around the world to exchange experiences and share happiness. We welcome different voices," said Feng Ji.

Judging from the first step of "going global", "Black Myth: Wukong" has been a success.But in Feng Ji's words, this may just be the starting point. "Just because it has a national style label, it doesn't mean it can be of low quality. We should have a greater sense of responsibility and make more efforts.Good content products will naturally impress the local cultural groups first. If the quality is high enough, it will naturally radiate overseas.。”

How do 3A games make money?

Expert: Forming a stable IP effect is the key

Big production, huge investment, low returns, in the gaming industry 3A games seem to have become synonymous with "generating electricity for love". How can domestic high-quality game manufacturers such as Game Science find a positive cycle path that is both fun and profitable?

We may be able to find some experience in the business models of some major foreign game companies.

Take the world-renowned game developer Rockstar Games (Rstar for short) as an example. The company's classic works such as the "Grand Theft Auto" series (GTA) and the "Red Dead Redemption" series are undoubtedly the benchmark for global 3A games.Data shows that "Red Dead Redemption 2" cost $800 million and took eight years to develop, with more than 2,000 employees participating in its development. The budget for "Grand Theft Auto 5" (GTA 5) reached $265 million.

The extremely high investment naturally brought huge profits to the company. Since the release of "GTA 5" at the end of 2013, Rockstar Games' total revenue from the "Grand Theft Auto" series has exceeded US$9 billion (approximately RMB 64.2 billion).The above revenue includes sales of the full set of "GTA 5" on three generations of game consoles, the 2020 re-release of "Grand Theft Auto:Trilogy - Definitive Edition", in-game purchases in Grand Theft Auto Online, and sales of other games in the series.So far,《GTA5's global sales have exceeded2It is worth noting that this is a game that has been released for nearly 10 years and still has a strong ability to make money today.

“It’s not that AAA games don’t make money, it’s just that it’s not that easy to make money because AAA games are too dependent on IP.To continue to make profits, the most important thing is to continue to develop series of works。”Game analyst Shu Tong told Blue Whale News that Ubisoft has the "Assassin's Creed" series, Activision has the "Call of Duty" series and the "Destiny" series, and EA has the "Star Wars" series and the "Battlefield" series. Rockstar's "Grand Theft Auto" is the most classic. Since the first "Grand Theft Auto" was released in 1997, the game has had more than ten series.Well-known game manufacturers in Europe and the United States all have their own stable series of works. Once a stable IP effect is formed, a positive cycle of both critical acclaim and commercial success can be achieved.。

As it said, behind the popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong", Game Science may have already been prepared to continue developing the series.It is reported that,Game Science has applied to register multiple related trademarks including "Black Myth·Shanhai, Black Myth·Dahuang, Black Myth·Soushen, Black Myth·Xiaoqian, Black Myth·Zhong Kui, Black Myth·Jiang Ziya" and so on.

Previously, an insider revealed that Game Science is likely to turn to the development of the above-mentioned games after the release of the "Black Myth: Wukong" DLC.

All things are difficult at the beginning. Black Myth: Wukong has opened a new era for domestic 3A games. Its success can help Game Science firmly embark on the path of self-developed high-quality games. The success of Genshin Impact has led to the establishment of a large number of high-quality mobile game projects.With the success of "Black Myth: Wukong", there will surely be more domestic 3A masterpieces emerging in the future.

edit|Duan Lian Gai Yuanyuan

Proofreading|Wang Yuelong

Daily Economic News is compiled from CCTV Finance, China News Service, National Express, Blue Whale News, Meijing.com, public information, etc.

Daily Economic News