Chinese game "Black Myth: Wukong" becomes global hit, storming U.S. market

With stunning visuals and a captivating story, the new Chinese-produced game "Black Myth: Wukong" has become a massive hit globally and is now taking the U.S. market by storm.

Launched by Chinese company Game Science, the game is China's first-ever AAA game, with the Triple-A title being a buzzword for major budget productions.

The game topped the "most-played games" list on Steam, a leading gaming platform, merely an hour after its debut on Tuesday morning.

Drawing inspiration from the classic 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, the game allows players to assume the legendary role of the Monkey King, wielding a magical staff on their adventures.

U.S. gamer Tyler Colp confirmed the game's immense popularity and high pre-launch anticipation, and shared his insights.

"Before it came out, it was the most wish-listed game on Steam, which is just a way for people to basically say, ‘I want to hear more news about this game.’ And then when it launched, it hit over, like, I think, a million players within the first 12 hours and maybe even two million, which put it as, like, the second most played game on Steam," he said.

Elaborating on the game's uniqueness and its appeal in the crowded action title market, Colp highlighted the cultural story as background information. . "Big franchises like Marvel and Call of Duty, right? But you rarely get action games that aren't in an established series, just being something so unique and new. You fight like a bunch of wolf enemies that have staffs and stuff, and you can go into a journal at any point in time and read basically just like a short story or basically a parable. So there's tons of opportunities to just learn about all these different characters from the original story," the gamer said.

Goldman Sachs previously projected that "Black Myth: Wukong" could achieve sales of 12 million copies on Steam, generating over 3 billion yuan (about 420 million U.S. dollars) in revenue. In a bullish scenario, the game could reach 20 million units sold, with revenue topping 5 billion yuan.

Chinese game "Black Myth: Wukong" becomes global hit, storming U.S. market

China will take more steps to further facilitate cross-border financial services in Shanghai by leveraging the municipality's role as an international financial center, according to a plan jointly issued by the central bank, the Shanghai municipal government and other financial authorities.

The plan outlines 18 key measures including improving cross-border settlement efficiency, strengthening the hedging of foreign exchange risks, and enhancing the insurance sector's services for export companies.

China will further optimize the management and operation of foreign exchange business, and encourage corporate groups to establish fund pools in Shanghai to achieve efficient onshore management and use of global funds.

The country will also support financial institutions to enhance their capacity to provide digital services and improve services for enterprises to expand abroad by leveraging technologies such as blockchain.

Efforts will be made to enhance the functionality and global coverage of the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System and encourage more banks to participate in the system, according to the plan.

The plan underscores the need to develop diversified products and services to hedge against foreign exchange risks, and to promote cross-border use of the Chinese currency renminbi.

According to the plan, China will increase insurance support for key export enterprises such as domestic commercial aircraft and new energy vehicle companies. The plan also encourages collaboration between insurance companies and reinsurance firms to establish insurance consortiums, thereby enhancing their capacity to cover special risks.

China to further facilitate cross-border financial services in Shanghai