The Beijing-based developer behind irresponsibly fast action RPG Phantom Blade Zero reckons we're at a "turning point" for Chinese developers and their games.
Phantom Blade Zero director 'Soulframe' Liang of developer S-Game tells 12DOVE he expects the upcoming action RPG Black Myth: Wukong to be a watershed moment for Chinese game developers. "There are many games coming from China, like Black Myth: Wukong or the ones from HoYoverse," Liang says, referencing the dev behind the mobile action RPG Genshin Impact. "I think we're now merging. It's like a bridge to different cultures and different systems."
Liang also sees a trend in China in which developers are shifting away from mobile games to console and PC games, just like S-Game has with Phantom Blade Zero, due on PS5 and PC sometime in the hopefully not-too-distant future, after 10 years of making free mobile games in China. "I think it's a good trend, to build new IP, very original creations," he says. "I think it's good."
During our conversation, Liang repeatedly goes back to the topic of Black Myth: Wu Kong as a sort of harbinger of what's to come from Chinese developers. "I think Black Myth: Wukong will be a big hit," he says. "There are more to come. I think they'll all be very successful, and I think that's the trend. It's definitely the beginning. There will be more and more Chinese developers coming in. I know how good they are. Even though they were making MMOs and mobile games before, I totally understand how good they are. There are way more to come."
Liang reckons China's jumping off point from mobile games to the broader console and PC market can be partly credited to HoYoverse with Genshin Impact, which is available on mobile, console, and PC. He predicts Black Myth: Wukong will mark the beginning of a new focus on console and PC without mobile counterparts.
"Everyone is looking at Black Myth: Wukong. If it can succeed in the domestic market and international market, people will be very confident about other games. I think it's a good thing," he says, adding that Phantom Blade Zero actually benefits from the success and popularity of such games, rather than directly competing with them. The more these Chinese action epics can succeed on core platforms, the bigger the potential audience for all of them becomes. They're all part of the same wave, in other words.
Of course, this all hinges on Black Muth: Wukong actually being good and successful, but so far all signs point to that being the case. It's currently the most-wishlisted game on Steam following Hades 2's surprise launch in May, and early impressions are uniformly positive.
We went hands-on with the game back in August and again more recently in June, and both times, our writers came away more than impressed. Jasmine called the demo she played "amazing" and praised it for its approachability, while Austin said it's "among the best and best-looking action RPGs I've played in years," noting that its skill trees, color-coded gear rarities, one main weapon, and more linear level design make it distinct from the Soulslike genre it seems to adopt on the surface.
Black Myth: Wukong hits PS5 and PC on August 20, with an Xbox Series X/S release coming at a later date.
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