Black Myth: Wukong’s “knockoff” faces backlash in China ahead of release

The globally successful video game Black Myth: Wukong is about to face a new competitor in the market. Wukong Sun: Black Legend, a game developed by Global Game Studio, is set to release on December 26. Similar to Black Myth: Wukong, this game also revolves around the legendary figure of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, as he battles mythical creatures from

Unsurprisingly, this announcement sparked a strong reaction from Chinese netizens. According to Business Insider, posts ridiculing Wukong Sun: Black Legend as a knockoff first appeared on the morning of December 23. Within just one hour, these posts reached the top of Weibo's trending discussions.

"Hey everyone, have you heard? The incredible game Black Myth: Wukong has been copied. It’s the kind of thing that leaves you speechless," wrote one Weibo user.

Promotional images for the game, listed by Nintendo, show

“Nintendo has removed other copyright-violating games from its store shelves before. They should do the same with Wukong Sun: Black Legend,” another user commented.

However, it seems that Wukong Sun: Black Legend is a much simpler 2D game with basic gameplay and an unimpressive storyline. On the other hand, Black Myth: Wukong, developed by Game Science, draws heavily from characters in the novel Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.