By Sagar V. Mankar The highly anticipated Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong has shattered records just one month after its release.
According to data analytics firm VideoGame Insights, the game has sold an astonishing 20.9 million copies on Steam alone, generating over $1 billion in revenue.
The figures align with recent data shared by former PlayStation CEO Ken Kuturagi at the Tokyo Game Show revealed that developer Game Science sold over 20 million units within a month. Similarly, the figure was given by industry analyst Daniel Camilo a week ago citing sources within Game Science, the game’s developer.
VG Insights relies on both third-party data sources and primary research for its estimates. While they cannot guarantee the complete accuracy of all data points due to the vast amount of third-party information, they assert that their overall estimates have a margin of error within ±5%.
Nevertheless, the Game was explosive to begin with. It set a new Steam record for 2024 with over 2.4 million concurrent players and sold a staggering 10 million copies in just three days across both PC and PlayStation 5 platforms.
Earlier reports suggested that the Chinese market accounted for 76% of Black Myth: Wukong‘s total sales and Camilo concurs, estimating that more than 70% of the game’s sales come from China.
The game is also performing exceptionally well outside of China. According to the latest PlayStation reports, Black Myth: Wukong was the most downloaded game on the PlayStation Store in August 2024 across North America, Japan, and Europe, outpacing established franchises like Madden NFL 25. Newzoo reports further confirm that it was the top-grossing game in August across six key markets: the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
The game’s success follows six years of meticulous development, with a substantial investment of at least 400 million yuan (approximately $56 million).
Developed by Game Science, Black Myth: Wukong draws inspiration from the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West.
As 2024 progresses, Black Myth: Wukong remains a strong contender for the best-selling premium video game of the year. However, it will face stiff competition from major releases such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, scheduled for release on October 25.
In addition to the sales milestones, the developer also revealed that the first downloadable content (DLC) for Black Myth: Wukong is expected to be released soon with Camilo claiming it will be in early 2025.