Chinese developer Game Science Studio has unveiled its new action-RPG, Black Myth: Wu Kong. The title, based on the mythology behind the 16th Century Chinese novel Journey to the West, is presently in development for PC and consoles. What’s been revealed of it, thus far, is nothing short of stunning.
Get a good look at the action powering Black Myth: Wu Kong in the following 13-minute gameplay reveal trailer:
Game Science Studio is developing Black Myth: Wu Kong in Unreal Engine 4. According to the video’s YouTube description, the above footage comes directly from pre-alpha build of the game. Still, it’s an impressive sight to behold.
Niko Partners Senior Analyst Daniel Ahmad offered more insight about the project in a lengthy Twitter thread. Developer Game Science Studio was founded in 2014 by a team of ex-Tencent Games employees. Before leaving Tencent, many of the Game Science crew worked for Tencent’s Quantum Studios on Asura Online–a Journey to the West-inspired action-MMORPG that launched in 2014 with little fanfare.
According to Ahmad, Black Myth: Wu Kong is Game Science’s third project. The team released its first title, the card game 100 Heroes, under publisher NetEase in 2015. Hero Interactive published the studio’s second outing, a free-to-play multiplayer strategy game known as Art of War: Red Tides, which hit PC in 2016 and mobile in 2017. Apparently, a follow-up to this particular venture is in the works, though details are scarce at present.
By the end of 2017, the Game Science devs took note of how Chinese teams could enter the “premium games market,” thanks to the growing popularity of Steam and similar platforms. As such, the studio set out to create a AAA title that could help foster a “new era of premium Chinese games.”
With Asura as a reference point, the developers began working on another Journey to the West-inspired title, which eventually took the shape of the Black Myth project that now has everyone’s attention. Throughout two-plus years of development, Game Science got their hands on games such as God of War, Monster Hunter, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, all in an effort to learn and grow.
Ahmad notes that development on Black Myth still has a long way to go. In addition, the team is currently hiring to fill 19 opened positions. The analyst also estimates the team will seek funding and assistance from publishers. Hopefully, Game Science gets the support necessary to see its vision through to completion.
[Source: Game Science Studio via Daniel Ahmad on Twitter]
