Positive Reviews: Strategic Vision and Cultural Exploration, Black Myth: Zhong Kui Infuses New Energy into the Black Myth Universe
After the great success of Black Myth: Wukong (hereinafter referred to as Wukong), Game Science chose Black Myth: Zhong Kui (hereinafter referred to as Zhong Kui) as the new installment in the series, rather than directly launching Wukong 2 or DLC. This decision demonstrates the team’s profound understanding of long – term IP operation and strategic vision.
Firstly, this is an active “jumping – line development” that avoids the risk of IP over – exploitation and lays the foundation for the long – term vitality of the Black Myth universe. The success of Wukong needs no elaboration – with over 23 million copies sold on Steam and international awards such as the Best Action Game at TGA, it has become a milestone in Chinese single – player games. If Game Science were to rush to launch Wukong 2 or DLC at this time, although it could quickly cash in on the popularity, it might fall into the trap of “living off past achievements”. Players’novelty with the story of Sun Wukong is limited. If the sequel fails to surpass the previous work, it could potentially consume the value of the IP. The Game Science team clearly realizes this. As stated in the Q&A on the official website, they hope to “create more diverse game experiences, challenge bolder mechanisms, and bring something new to the worldview and narrative.” By developing Zhong Kui, the team can explore the upper limits of new technologies, art styles, and gameplay within the same theme. After upgrading the system, returning to the main Wukong storyline will enable them to accumulate more solid creative capabilities for Wukong 2. This strategy of “precipitation before explosion” is in line with the logic of Rockstar Games’ development of Red Dead Redemption 2 before advancing Grand Theft Auto 6. In essence, it reserves a “arsenal” of technology and narrative for the long – term development of the IP.
Secondly, the launch of Zhong Kui marks a shift in the exploration of traditional cultural IPs by Chinese games from “classical reuse” to “in – depth innovation”. Compared with the globally well – known cultural symbol of Sun Wukong, the development of the Zhong Kui IP has long been in a state of “shallow exploration”. In games such as Honor of Kings and Fantasy Westward Journey, Zhong Kui mostly appears as a functional character (such as a support hero or a quest NPC). The legend of him as the “Ghost – Catching Heavenly Master” is only simplified into skill or quest design, lacking a complete storyline and character arc. The “Black Myth” series by Game Science has always centered on “stripping away the divine cloak and focusing on humanity and reality”. In Wukong, Sun Wukong is no longer simply the “Victorious Fighting Buddha” but a “trapped beast” entangled by fate and causality. Zhong Kui is expected to continue this style, restoring Zhong Kui from the “Spirit – Protecting Saint” to a flesh – and – blood “Evil – Judging One”. In folk legends, Zhong Kui was rejected from the imperial examination due to his ugly appearance and died by hitting the steps. This tragic background and the metaphor that his “beheading of ghosts” is essentially “beheading the evil in people’s hearts” provide rich narrative soil for the game. Through Zhong Kui, Game Science can not only activate a niche cultural IP but also explore a new paradigm for the “Eastern narrative” in Chinese games – how to make traditional mythological characters resonate emotionally in the modern context.
Finally, Zhong Kui provides a testing ground for Game Science’s technological and gameplay innovation. Although the success of Wukong has verified the team’s strength in action design, scene art, and engine optimization, the limitations of a single protagonist and a fixed worldview may restrict the space for technological breakthroughs. As a work with “new heroes, new gameplay, new visuals, and new technologies”, Zhong Kui allows the team to explore more complex system designs. For example, the setting of Zhong Kui “walking between the two worlds of yin and yang” may give rise to two sets of skill trees or scene puzzle – solving mechanisms. His ability to “command ghost servants” can be designed as a “judgment system with consequences” (such as the impact of releasing/imprisoning different ghosts on the world line). In the weapon system, legendary tools such as the ghost – beheading sword, iron fan, and imperial brush can also enrich the combat diversity. If these innovations are successfully verified in Zhong Kui, they can be fed back to Wukong 2 in the future, forming a virtuous cycle of “new work testing – main IP iteration”.
Negative Reviews: Market Risks and User Expectations, Challenges and Concerns behind the Development of Zhong Kui
Although the launch of Zhong Kui is full of strategic wisdom, its development and market prospects still face multiple challenges, and potential risks need to be vigilant.
The most prominent is the market risk of “acceptance of the new IP”. The success of Wukong largely depends on the global popularity of Sun Wukong – players have a natural understanding of the story of the “Monkey King”, which reduces the threshold for understanding the game. As a relatively niche cultural symbol, Zhong Kui’s popularity is concentrated in China, and the spread of folk legends about him is far less extensive than that of Journey to the West. If the narrative of Zhong Kui fails to effectively convey its cultural core or the gameplay innovation is insufficient, the initial market performance may fall short of expectations. For example, some core players may adopt a wait – and – see attitude because the protagonist is not Sun Wukong, and ordinary players may be less willing to buy due to their unfamiliarity with Zhong Kui’s background. In addition, the difficulty of promotion in the international market will also increase – how to explain the cultural logic of “Zhong Kui catching ghosts” to European and American players may require more localized narrative adaptations, which poses higher requirements for Game Science’s global operation ability.
Secondly, there is the risk of “development cycle and uncertainty”. As mentioned in the news, Zhong Kui “is still in the early stage of the project, and it seems that the outline hasn’t even been completed yet”, and the release time is not clear. Referring to the seven – year development cycle of Wukong from its launch in 2017 to its release in 2024, the development of Zhong Kui will take at least 3 – 5 years (or even longer). During this period, the technological and market environment of the game industry may change dramatically. For example, AI – generated content (AIGC) may subvert the art and narrative processes, the open – world gameplay may cause aesthetic fatigue due to the emergence of more new works, and players’ expectations for “single – player action RPGs” may also rise. If the development of Zhong Kui fails to keep up with technological trends in a timely manner or the gameplay innovation fails to meet expectations, it may face the embarrassing situation of “spending many years but not meeting market expectations”. In addition, the team needs to maintain the popularity of the Wukong IP during the “jumping – line development”. If the development of Wukong 2 or DLC is postponed for a long time, it may lead to a decline in players’ enthusiasm and affect the overall reputation of the Black Myth universe.
Finally, there is the challenge of “user expectation management”. After the release of Wukong, players’ demand for DLC and sequels was extremely strong, and there was even a large amount of high – quality fan – created content. This not only reflects the vitality of the IP but also brings pressure to Game Science. Feng Ji mentioned that “fan – created content is more imaginative than DLC ideas”, which indirectly reflects the team’s concern about “failing to exceed players’ expectations”. However, choosing to prioritize the development of Zhong Kui means that the update of Wukong – related content will be delayed, and some players may have negative emotions due to the “long waiting time”. For example, core players may think that the team is “deviating from the main line”, and ordinary players may shift their attention due to the lack of new content for a long time. How to maintain user stickiness through community interaction (such as regularly announcing the follow – up plans of Wukong and launching short – form derivative content) while developing Zhong Kui is a key issue that Game Science needs to solve.
Advice for Entrepreneurs: Insights into Long – Term IP Operation and Cultural Innovation from the Launch of Zhong Kui
The launch of Zhong Kui by Game Science provides multi – dimensional inspiration for entrepreneurs, especially in terms of IP operation, cultural exploration, and user management. The following suggestions can be summarized:
IP Operation: Balance Short – Term Profits and Long – Term Value, Establish a “Mother Body” Mentality
The success of Wukong could have been used to achieve short – term monetization by quickly launching sequels or DLC, but Game Science chose “jumping – line development”. In essence, it regards Black Myth as a “series mother body” rather than a single – character IP. Entrepreneurs need to realize that the long – term value of an IP lies in “systematization” rather than “single – point explosion”. By testing technologies and expanding the worldview through new works and then feeding back to the main IP, a more lasting vitality can be formed. Therefore, after achieving阶段性 success, entrepreneurs should avoid rushing to cash in and instead reserve resources to invest in the construction of the “mother body” capabilities (such as technology reserves, narrative frameworks, and team training) to lay the foundation for future multi – line development.Cultural Exploration: Find “Untold Stories” in Niche IPs and Activate New Cultural Possibilities
The launch of Zhong Kui proves that niche cultural IPs often contain greater creative space. Their existing development is mostly superficial and has not touched the core cultural connotations. When choosing cultural IPs, entrepreneurs can give priority to themes that have a deep folk foundation but have not been deeply developed (such as local legends and intangible cultural heritages). Through modern narrative and gameplay design, they can give these themes new vitality. The key is to deeply explore the “spiritual core” of cultural symbols (such as Zhong Kui’s “dilemma of justice” and “self – judgment”) rather than simply copying surface elements (such as images and skills). Only in this way can cross – era emotional resonance be achieved.User Management: Transparent Communication and Expectation Guidance to Maintain Community Stickiness
The problem of “delayed user expectations” faced by Game Science reminds entrepreneurs to pay attention to user communication. When the development plan is adjusted (such as delaying sequels or shifting to a new direction), entrepreneurs should honestly explain the decision – making logic (such as “for better – quality content”) to users through official channels (such as developer logs and live Q&A sessions) and regularly update the progress (such as concept art and technical demos) to avoid negative emotions caused by information gaps. In addition, by encouraging fan – created content and holding themed activities, users can be involved in the co – construction of the IP, enhancing their sense of belonging and patience during the waiting period.Innovation and Risk: Small – Step Testing and Rapid Verification to Reduce Development Uncertainty
The development of Zhong Kui has a long cycle and high risks. Entrepreneurs can learn from its “testing ground” approach but need to pay attention to risk control. For example, before launching the core new work, they can test the user acceptance of innovative mechanisms (such as switching between the two worlds of yin and yang and the judgment system) on a small scale through short – form demos and gameplay test versions and adjust the direction according to the feedback. At the same time, they should maintain sensitivity to industry trends (such as AI technology and cross – platform gameplay) to ensure that the development direction is in line with market demand and avoid the risk of “spending many years but falling behind the times”.
In conclusion, the launch of Black Myth: Zhong Kui is not only an announcement of a new game but also a microcosm of the transformation of the Chinese game industry from “blockbuster manufacturing” to “IP ecosystem construction”. Although Game Science’s choice is full of challenges, it provides a long – term development model for entrepreneurs, which is “rooted in culture, driven by innovation, and centered on users”. Between chasing short – term profits and deeply cultivating long – term value, the latter may be more likely to create true “classics”.
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