But it’s also important to remember that Game Science is a Chinese studio, and how it’s a different story over there.
The PlayStation Store has reported that Black Myth: Wukong has topped the charts in North America, Japan and Europe. It could well be the best-selling game of 2024, but Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 could still beat it. But let’s take a look at the August top list:
- Black Myth: Wukong
- Madden NFL 25
- College Football 25
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Star Wars Outlaws
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Hogwarts Legacy
- WWE 2K24
- Helldivers 2
- Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
- Sea of Thieves
- Elden Ring
- Gran Turismo 7
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Among Us
- MLB The Show 24
- Mortal Kombat 1
Electronic Arts did knock two spots off the podium, though both are American football, so that skews the results a bit… but last year was a dethronement, as the best-selling game of 2023 was Hogwarts Legacy, not Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Black Myth: Wukong may have sold 30-40 million copies, but about 85% of its sales came from China. It also had limited marketing, didn’t have a big publishing partner, and there is currently no disc release, plus the PlayStation 5 port was very much hidden by Game Science.
China is home to about 1.4 billion people, more than the three major markets combined (North America: 370 million, Japan: 120 million, Europe: 500 million). This may skew the results, and it should be remembered that at the end of 2023, IGN reported that sexist comments and attitudes were emanating from Game Science, which then took an anti-Woke slant. Freedom of expression is also an interesting idea, while a Taiwanese studio and its game (Red Candle Games, Devotion) were condemned by the Chinese Communist Party-supporting public for a reference to the General Secretary. Then there are the many strange bans that had to be obeyed in exchange for a free Steam code (we’ve written about this before).
China can boost the games industry, but it can also bring it down if it uses its soft power to censor the West and its games.
Source: GameRant
