Black Myth: Wukong is already breaking records despite controversy
Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong is caught in a scandal over reported views of those within its development, but that hasn't stopped the action RPG from breaking records on Steam.
20th Aug 2024 15:04
Images via Game Science
Black Myth: Wukong is already breaking records despite controversy
Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong is caught in a scandal over reported views of those within its development, but that hasn't stopped the action RPG from breaking records on Steam.
20th Aug 2024 15:04
Images via Game Science
We sure love a good controversy in the gaming industry, and when it comes to the release of Game Science's Black Myth: Wukong, it's no exception. Our own review of Black Myth: Wukong said it would be amiss not to mention reports of sexism from within the team's ranks, while other outlets are also saying it could potentially take the shine off the game.
Still, it's issues with pacing, glitches, and feeling like a boss rush that potentially stops Black Myth: Wukong from being the next Elden Ring. We reiterated that Wukong isn't a straight-up Soulslike, but it seems that its inevitable comparisons to FromSoftware's 2022 behemoth are enough to get you interested.
Black Myth: Wukong is already breaking records
Black Myth: Wukong is officially out in the wilds, and looking at early reports, behind-the-scenes scandals aren't putting you off. As reported by The Verge's Tom Warren, Black Myth: Wukong is currently the most-played game on Steam and has already passed the concurrent player count of Elden Ring.
One sceptic said, "With minimal marketing it's pulling these numbers on a single platform? I that's strange isn't it?" but we're reminded that Game Science is a China-based developer and there are a mere 1.4 billion people living in China. Even if those in the West might not have heard much about Wukong, it's been getting plenty of hype elsewhere.
At the time of writing, there are 2,223,179 currently in Black Myth: Wukong, which puts it clear of Counter-Strike's 1,267,373. Behind that, PUBG and Dota 2 are in third and fourth with 'only' 614,267 and 583,184 respectively. Fifth (bizarrely) belongs to the addictive Banana, boasting 413,443 players.
It's a strong start for Black Myth: Wukong that we couldn't have predicted. With an all-time peak of just over 2.2 million concurrent players in a matter of hours, the animalistic adventure is nearing Counter-Strike's peak of 1,818,773. Having now surpassed Palworld (2,101,867 players), only PUBG (3,257,248 players) sits above it.
While we're not sure anything will ever top PUBG's eye-watering player count, the fact that Black Myth: Wukong is already the most-played single-player title of all time on Steam is quite an achievement. Then again, let's remember Palworld's record-breaking success at release and how it's seemingly vanished from our eyeline.
Steam reported a bandwidth peak of 70 Tbps not long after Wukong's pre-download started, and with 1.2 million copies netting around $52 million in a single month of pre-sales, it's been setting records for the Chinese market. For now, Black Myth: Wukong appears to be the game of the moment.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
