Chinese video game "Black Myth: Wukong" shot to the top of Steam's "most-played games" list after its official launch on Tuesday, as global gamers rushed to play the highly-anticipated game.
Developed by Hangzhou-based Game Science, the video game is now available on platforms including Steam, Play Station 5, Epic Games Store and Tencent WeGame.
According to data on Steam, over 1.04 million gamers were playing "Black Myth: Wukong" at 11:00 Beijing time on Tuesday, just an hour after its debut.
The game is inspired by the ancient Chinese tale "Journey to the West", and its release marks a bold foray by Chinese game developers into a market long dominated by Western triple-A titles.
Triple-A games are typically defined as high-cost, high-volume, high-quality stand-alone titles, a market long dominated by Japanese, American and French companies.
"Black Myth: Wukong" uses Nvidia technology, a market leader in AI and graphic computing, to give players a visual feast with full ray tracing effects. This advanced technique is used by visual effects artists to create lifelike graphics with cinematic image quality.
The Chinese role-playing game won the Best Visuals award at last August's Gamescom in Cologne, Germany - one of the world's largest gaming events. It captured the attention of the global gaming community and sparked excitement among players worldwide.
"What I found really cool was definitely the monster design, especially the different types they showcased. The tiger in that blood pool left a deep impression on me. In general, I got a glimpse of Chinese culture through it, like through other films, and that really appeals to me," said a German player at the event.
As "Black Myth: Wukong" soars the charts, other Chinese cultural offerings, such as the science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem", the film "The Wandering Earth", and the adventure game "Genshin Impact", are also pulling in global audiences in recent years.
Global gamers push Chinese video game "Black Myth: Wukong" to top of Steam list
Global gamers push Chinese video game "Black Myth: Wukong" to top of Steam list
The United States has long been the major external factor affecting Haiti's security, stability, and development, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, on Monday, who also condemned the U.S. for exacerbating Haiti's economic challenges by imposing sweeping tariffs.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Geng expressed China's deep concern over Haiti's worsening crisis and rampant gang violence, its near-collapse state, and the desperate situation of its population.
For over a century, the United States has blatantly deployed troops, installed puppet governments, and manipulated Haiti's constitution, entrenching itself in Haiti's political affairs, said Geng.
He noted that just a year ago, the United States orchestrated the current political transition arrangements in Haiti. However, following a shift in its own government, the United States has turned a blind eye to that very transition, leaving Haiti mired in internal conflict and turmoil.
According to Geng, the United States has always been the main source of weapons for Haiti, allowing illegal weapons to flow into Haiti from Florida.
In October 2023, the United States spearheaded the formation of the Multinational Security Support Mission, pledging financial support. However, in the past year and more, its actual contributions have been relatively limited. At one point, the Untied States even attempted to convert the mission into a UN peacekeeping operation, citing a lack of funds, said Geng.
This is an apparent act to shift the burden onto the UN and its member states, treating them as little more than an ATM machine, Geng added.
Geng also highlighted the U.S. role in undermining Haiti's development.
While professing support for the Haitian people, the United States has significantly cut foreign aid and continued deporting Haitian immigrants on the pretext of national priorities when Haiti is in dire need of support, said the Chinese envoy. "What is even more shocking is that not long ago, while the United States defied world opinion by imposing sweeping tariffs on all trade partners, it also extended its so-called baseline tariff of 10 percent to Haiti, one of the world's least developed countries as defined by the UN. This act of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying is not just aimed at the so-called competitors like China. It has also inflicted damage on a nation teetering on the edge of collapse, such as a fragile country like Haiti, where the people are in dire straits. This is not only cruel and absurd, but also profoundly heartbreaking," said Geng.
Chinese envoy slams US for negative role in Haiti's crisis
