- China’s Internet is not happy that “Wukong Sun: Black Legend” is expected to be released on the Nintendo Store.
- It is a 2D platformer game with art and a title similar to Black Myth: Wukong.
- “Black Myth: Wukong” is extremely popular in China and its players are fiercely defending the title.
“Black Myth: Wukong,” the high-profile video game that achieved superstar status in China, has a new titular competitor on the market: a side-scrolling platformer in which the Monkey King attacks monsters of ancient legend.
Wukong Sun: Black Legend, published by Global Game Studio, is now listed for pre-order in Nintendo’s store for its Switch console – much to the chagrin of China’s social media.
Posts mocking the Nintendo-listed game as a knockoff appeared Monday morning and, within an hour, topped the discussion chart on Weibo, China’s version of X, according to data seen by Business Insider.
“Hey everyone, have you heard? The amazing myth of Black Myth: Wukong has actually been copied! This really leaves you speechless,” one user wrote.
“Since Nintendo has removed pirated games from its shelves, this should be removed as well,” wrote another.
The promotional art for the Nintendo-listed game, which is due out on December 26 and costs $7.99, bears a striking resemblance to that of Black Myth: Wukong.
Promotional art from “Wukong Sun: Black Legend” along with a design from “Black Myth: Wukong”. Screenshot/Nintendo Store and CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
But the gameplay of the new title is nothing like that of “Black Myth: Wukong”, a 3D action game with fancy visuals and a famous boss system that is difficult to overcome.
“Wukong Sun: Black Legend” appears to feature 2D sprites that approach from the right of the screen while the player navigates from the left.
Black Myth: Wukong, produced by Chinese developer Game Science, is based on characters from the 1592 novel Journey to the West, one of the most famous literary works in the region and a cornerstone of Chinese folk culture and mythology.
The term “Black Myth” in the game’s title refers to it telling a story that was not included in the original novel, which has served as the basis for a 1986 television show and a plethora of books, games, and other media.
On its Nintendo Store page, Wukong Sun: Black Legend also references the novel, saying it will allow players to “embark on an epic Journey to the West” and battle characters from its mythology.
Weibo users have none of these.
“Popular games have been plagued by imitations for far too long,” wrote Pear Video, a popular online news account. “Malicious developers exploit well-known game names, repurpose various small games and place them on the shelves of large game stores with similar titles, tricking uninformed consumers into buying and downloading.”
“I wonder how Nintendo will handle it,” wrote one popular millennial gaming blogger.
Nintendo operates a marketplace that allows developers to publish games for Nintendo consoles. The company did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by BI.
Global Game Studio is listed as the developer and publisher of Wukong Sun: Black Legend. According to Nintendo’s website, the developer has also produced a soccer game, an extreme sports bike game, a Farming Harvester Simulator and a zombie shooter.
The studio did not respond to a request for comment in an email sent by BI.
“Black Myth: Wukong” is considered China’s first AAA video game success, selling more than 20 million copies on the Steam marketplace, according to data tracker Video Game Insights. The game retails for around $59.99 per copy, putting the total sales at $1 billion.
The design of Sun Wukong from the video game “Black Myth: Wukong” was used as a model for a snow sculpture in Harbin, China. VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Its release dominated China’s internet this summer and has garnered a fervent cult following. Earlier this month, the title’s failure to win the coveted Game of the Year award from The Games Awards sparked a wave of discontent on Chinese social media.