Today, at the very end of Gamescom Opening Night Live, Geoff had one more secret to reveal: The developers behind the super-popular action RPG Black Myth: Wukong are working on a new game, Black Myth: Zhong Kui, starring a new mythical hero.
Here’s the very short teaser for Zhong Kui, which doesn’t have a release date yet:
Black Myth: Zhong Kui isn’t a direct sequel to Wukong. On the new game’s official website, the devs explained that they wanted to “build more distinct game experiences, to challenge ourselves with bolder features” and work on “fresh ideas.” However, they did tease an actual sequel or DLC to Wukong, saying: “And to all friends who love Black Myth: Wukong, the westward journey won’t end here.”
It should also be noted that, despite a slick-looking CG trailer showing off the new mythical hero and setting, Game Science admits it doesn’t have much to show because the game is still very early in development, saying that Zhong Kui is “little more than an empty folder at this stage.” However, the devs said they love announcing new things and updating fans on August 20, so they created a CG short to “let everyone know that a new project has kicked off.” But yeah, don’t expect to be playing this game anytime soon.
According to Game Science, Black Myth: Zhong Kui, like Wukong, is a single-player action RPG that will follow “the same business model as before.” That seems to imply that this sequel won’t be free-to-play when it eventually launches.
“However, you won’t be playing a monkey role this time,” explained the studio. “That said, we’re still exploring and experimenting with the concrete differences between Wukong and Zhong Kui. So take it easy—let us impress ourselves first before we serve it to you.”
On August 20, 2024, Black Myth: Wukong launched on PlayStation 5 and PC and quickly became a massive hit. The game saw over 2.4 million concurrent players on Steam alone, beating out popular games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, and many more. It still, to this day, holds the record for second-highest number of players all online at the same time on Steam, only beaten by PUBG’s massive 3.2 concurrent players record. Needless to say, a lot of people are excited for more Black Myth, and I expect that when Zhong Kui eventually arrives on PC and consoles, it will be as big if not bigger.
