- Black Myth: Wukong became the second most played game on Steam instantly after launch.
- The game generated a lot of revenue, and according to a new tax report, it cost $42.3 million to develop.
- The development cost is way less when compared with the games that failed like Concord.
Black Myth: Wukong is this year’s biggest hit, as it dominated the competition entirely. Announced back in 2020, this Chinese action RPG had a lot of hype and anticipation behind it. On release, the game destroyed every single-player game’s record and became the most-played single-player game on Steam.
Given that it reached almost 2.5 million peak concurrent players, it might not be possible for any game other than GTA 6 to beat it. However, fans might wonder about the development cost of this big hit.
Those fans are in for a big shock, as the game, according to the official tax report, cost $42.3 million to develop.
Why it matters: In this era, games cost way too much and take too much development time. For instance, Concord reportedly cost $400 million to develop and took 8 years to develop.
The official tax report by the Hangzhou Taxation Bureau revealed that this Chinese action RPG is estimated to cost over 300 million yuan. Now, 300 million yuan is equal to $42.3 million, which is pretty low given its gorgeous visuals and success.
We estimated that the total development cost of Black Myth: Wukong is more than 300 million yuan.
-Hangzhou Taxation Bureau
Previously, it was reported that the game’s development cost was $70 million and that it took 6 years worth of development time. While the development time is accurate, the development cost seems to be not.
The report also reveals that the Hangzhou Taxation Bureau has established long-term communication with the company in order to provide a precise report on the research and development expenses.
Black Myth: Wukong has received some unfair hatred over time, but despite that, it is a solid GOTY contender. This game is going to do wonders for the Chinese developers, and there’s no stopping it now.
It is crazy to think that games like Concord cost too much and fail miserably. There are plenty of games that cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and they end up failing. However, Black Myth: Wukong has proven that budget doesn’t matter that much for a game to be good.
What are your thoughts on the game costing this less? Do you think games should have such low development costs? Share your thoughts in the comments, or join the discussion on the official Tech4Gamers Forums.
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[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.
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