Table of Contents
Game Science, a small gaming studio initially focused on mobile games, faced numerous challenges when developing Black Myth: Wukong, an ambitious AAA project,
Despite their limited experience and resources, this game marked a significant leap for the studio, pushing them to overcome many obstacles and learn new skills.
Developing Black Myth: Wukong: From Mobile Games to AAA Challenges
After leaving Tencent to pursue PC game development, the founders of Game Science struggled to sustain the company through mobile games.
Developing Black Myth: Wukong was a high-stakes project for the studio, aiming to break into the highly competitive AAA gaming market.
The sheer scale of Black Myth: Wukong proved overwhelming for the young studio.
With limited resources and experience in the Chinese gaming industry, which was more focused on creating copycat products, Game Science had to find solutions for even the smallest issues independently.
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A Small Team for a Big Dream
In early 2018, Feng Ji, the founder of Game Science, held an internal meeting to decide the company’s future direction.
The team had three options: focus on an offline game, create a mobile game, or split the team to work on both. They chose the last option, but only 5-6 people were allocated to develop a single-player PC game.
Since late 2017, Yang Qi, the Art Director of Game Science, was determined to create an offline game. He was disillusioned with mobile games, which lacked the scope to bring large ideas to life.
Around this time, Yang Qi also discovered he had health issues due to his intense work habits, prompting him to push for the development of Black Myth: Wukong.
Yang Qi’s health problems, including fatty liver disease and other issues, forced him to realize that he couldn’t continue working at his previous pace. He emphasized the importance of creating something significant before it was too late.
This personal drive motivated him to persuade Feng Ji to develop Black Myth: Wukong, even though it was a risky move against the market trends.
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Ambitious Goals with Limited Resources
The only direction Game Science had was to create a single-player action RPG. Feng Ji preferred games like Dark Souls, while Yang Qi was inspired by Monster Hunter.
They started with basic engines like Cocos and Unity but soon realized they needed to switch to Unreal Engine to achieve their grand vision.
By the end of 2018, they completed the opening level at Huaguo Mountain, featuring the protagonist battling 100,000 heavenly soldiers and the Four Heavenly Kings, showcased in the game’s first trailer.
By 2019, the team had grown to about 20 people, working on a complete level set at Black Wind Mountain, including the Guanyin Zen Temple and the theft of the monk’s robe. However, even this was a monumental task for the team.
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The Complexities of Developing Black Myth: Wukong – AAA Game Development
As the team worked on Black Myth: Wukong, they encountered numerous challenges typical of modern AAA game development, which involved coordinating multiple departments.
For example, creating a cutscene required writing a script, sketching storyboards, and building polygonal models for simple gameplay scenes.
After establishing the framework, they had to add motion and facial expressions, which extended into motion capture (mocap) technology.
In addition to the intensive labor, AAA game development is expensive. Feng Ji revealed that renting a mocap studio with 60 cameras costs 200,000-300,000 yuan daily.
Even if they paused production, they still had to pay for the studio time. The overall production cost for Black Myth: Wukong was estimated to be between 400-600 million yuan (56-84 million USD).
Overcoming Resource and Talent Shortages
Despite these challenges, Game Science was determined to succeed. However, they faced a significant talent shortage in China, where AAA game development was rare.
Most top talents were employed by giants like Tencent or NetEase, leaving Game Science with limited options.
The studio explored outsourcing as a common solution in the industry, but Chinese partners either didn’t meet their quality standards or were unwilling to participate in such a risky project.
To attract top talent, the developers released a 13-minute gameplay video to showcase their progress and vision.
Even simple game mechanics presented difficulties. For example, the character in The Last of Us: Part II could naturally rotate and grab objects from any angle.
Game Science tried to replicate this with additional animations, but they were unsuccessful. Eventually, they sought inspiration from Ubisoft’s methods but found that these techniques were proprietary to the developers.
Crafting a Unique Identity in Developing Black Myth: Wukong
Another significant challenge was defining the game’s direction.
Black Myth: Wukong drew inspiration from games like God of War and Dark Souls, but the creators wanted to avoid making a cheap imitation. They needed to design unique levels, spaces, and maps that offered more for players to explore.
In the end, Game Science had to develop its algorithms, acknowledging that they were still behind industry leaders like God of War and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey.
Despite these difficulties, the studio remained committed to delivering a high-quality game that could stand on its own in the competitive AAA market.
Conclusion
The development of Black Myth: Wukong was fraught with challenges, from limited resources and talent shortages to the complexities of AAA game development.
However, Game Science’s determination to create a unique and ambitious game drove them to overcome these obstacles.
As they continue to refine and develop Black Myth: Wukong, the gaming world eagerly anticipates the final result, hoping it will set a new standard for Chinese-developed AAA games.
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Animost – Vietnam 3D Animation Studio
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