Chinese firms offer employees time off to play ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ video game

A character similar to the Monkey King Sun Wukong in the action role-playing game "Black Myth: Wukong." Photo from Black Myth: Wukong Twitter

Citing Oriental Daily, The Straits Times reported that Sichuan Muziyang Technology allowed all its employees a day off to explore this new game. The decision reportedly aims to bolster China’s gaming sector and foster shared gaming experiences among colleagues and friends.

In a similar vein, Shanghai-based indie game publisher Gamera Games supplied each employee with a digital copy of "Black Myth: Wukong." Additionally, Game Teahouse, a Chinese game strategy platform, provided its staff a half-day off and reimbursed them for the game’s purchase price.

Released on Aug. 20, "Black Myth: Wukong" has quickly risen to prominence as one of the most successful Chinese video games, with a report from the South China Morning Post indicating it sold over 4.5 million copies across the PS5 and personal computers on its first day.

AFP reports that this game represents the first Chinese-developed "Triple A" title—a term used to describe major, high-budget, stand-alone games. It draws inspiration from the classic 16th-century Chinese novel "Journey to the West," with players assuming a role akin to the Monkey King Sun Wukong, a key character in the narrative.

The game’s pre-sales exceeded 400 million yuan (US$56.2 million), setting a new record for domestic Chinese games.

Its popularity has also increased PS5 transaction volumes on Sony’s store on the Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall, with a surge of over 100% year-over-year in the seven days leading up to the game’s release. During the period, the PS5 consistently ranked as the top "hot item" in video gaming equipment on Tmall for four days straight as well.