Hero Games' Daniel Wu reflects on his studio's 20% stake in Game Science, the creator of China's biggest PC game Black Myth: Wukong, which has sold 18M+ copies
one of the fastest starts the global gaming industry has seen. That record pace has in turn minted millions for its earliest and biggest investor. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Zheping Huang / @pingroma : “Black Myth: Wukong” has achieved 18M copy sales in just two weeks and could reach 30M with an upcoming DLC. But in hindsight, its success was never a sure bet. Read my exclusive interview with the title's earliest and biggest investor (free link 🔗) https://www.shorturl.at/uuKBo [image] Derek Strickland / @deeketweak : @gibsonabr Despite Wukong's success, the publisher (Hero Games) still is not profitable. Derek Strickland / @deeketweak : @gibsonabr It's a big gamble. Def check out the full article for more context. Wu says they were in over their head multiple times. https://www.bloomberg.com/... Derek Strickland / @deeketweak : Reminder that studios have to be willing to take the misses for an unknown period (such is the nature of a hit-driven business). Game Science suffered 4x failures in a row before they hit it big with Black Myth: Wukong. [image] Forums: r/asianamerican : Investor Who Risked It All on ‘Wukong’ Scores Another Sales Win r/gaming : Investor Who Risked It All on ‘Wukong’ Scores Another Sales Win
Context & Ripple Effects
Game Science's breakout followed a launch that had already reached 10 million copies in its first 83 hours, turning an early studio bet into a concrete test case for Hero Games' investment strategy. The investor's reported 20% holding matters because Game Science had previously endured four failed projects, while Hero Games itself remained unprofitable.
The story also sits at the start of a broader reappraisal of Chinese AAA development: later coverage framed the game as both a Chinese soft-power export and a potential catalyst for renewed game investment after a crackdown.
First-order effects
- Hero Games' minority stake gains substantially more strategic and financial significance as Game Science's title posts an exceptional early sales run; Game Science gains proof that its long development cycle can produce a global PC hit.
- The result raises Game Science's leverage around follow-on content, including the planned DLC, while it does not by itself resolve Hero Games' continuing lack of profitability.
Second-order effects
- Other investors and Chinese game studios have a visible commercial benchmark for backing high-budget, globally oriented PC titles rather than treating Game Science's turnaround as an isolated recovery.
- The title's international reach gives state-backed narratives around Chinese-made AAA games a successful reference point, reinforcing the later soft-power framing.
Third-order effects
- If more Chinese studios can replicate this transition from domestic development to global PC franchises, capital allocation could shift toward fewer, higher-conviction AAA bets; one blockbuster alone is not evidence that the model is broadly repeatable.
- The later investor hopes for a post-crackdown revival suggest that financing conditions, not just audience demand, will determine whether this success becomes a durable pipeline of comparable projects.
The trend: Black Myth: Wukong is an early signal that Chinese developers and their backers are seeking globally scalable AAA franchises, with financing confidence hinging on whether the hit can be repeated.