this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2024
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Black Myth: Wukong's first week of sales numbers are in, and they firmly inhabit "Don't take a big sip of coffee before you look at them" territory. 10 million units sold, which, as industry analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed out on X, "The Everything App," is a record-breaking performance that leaves some of the biggest releases of the past few years in the dust.

For perspective, here are some comparative numbers:

  • Hogwarts Legacy: 15 million in three months
  • Elden Ring: 13 million in one month
  • Cyberpunk 2077: 13.7 million in one month
  • Baldur's Gate 3: 20+ million in five months
  • Helldivers 2: 12 million in three months

The only game that comes close is Palworld's 19 million players in two weeks, a mark that Black Myth: Wukong seems on track to surpass. It's a sales figure that lines up with Wukong having leapfrogged the competition to be the #2 most-played game in Steam's history by concurrent players. Before that, it was also the most wishlisted game on the platform after The Day Before met its ignominious end.

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Hogwarts Legacy: 15 million in three months

susie-baffled WHY?!

[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The power of brand recognition

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Garbage, even garbage with brand recognition, doesn't always ensure sales. Plenty of licensed tie-ins of movies and books crash and burn because they suck. That game also sucks, but I suppose there was some sort of wagon-circling massed treat defense to own the wokes or whatever.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I still think the longterm effect of this event has negatively harmed the franchise and jk. You see people talk about it often, how they've put their books away, how they now find it difficult to enjoy the franchise and not think about those things whenever they hear about it.

The chuds might circle the wagons to do damage mitigation but they won't last, and the damage will play out. That little seed planted in the hearts of every lib grows over time.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago

I think it's more of a spore than a seed, but the point stands.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My personal tinfoil hat theory is that this game was meant as a way to test if the Harry Potter franchise was still commercially viable, like Shadows of the Empire was for the Star Wars franchise in the 90s (except that one has been confirmed, of course). It's speculation, of course, but considering how badly the second Fantastic Beasts movie did, it'd make sense for them to go after the millennial nostalgia market.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

If "Ready Player One" was more successful as a movie, I think late Xer-early millennial nostalgia of the "remember this? Remember that?!" bazinga kind would have stuck around like a particularly stubborn wart even moreso than it is now.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I haven't seen the movie, but I've read parts of the book, and it's incredibly funny to me that they had to make the references more recent because the people who'd be nostalgic for 80s pop culture were too old when the movie came out.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I saw the book at the store and thought the cover looked neat, so I picked it up to skim a few pages. Holy fuck was the writing bad. I chuckled and threw it back on the shelf.

I was taken completely by surprise to later learn it was a bestseller and being made into a movie. "50 Shades of Grey" for 30-somethings.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Looking back, it's easy to see why it was a hit: it was slop for slop hogs. It said "what if bibeo bame, and knowing a lot of useless bibeo bame and nostalgia trivia means you eventually win the sex trophy and become the billionaire ruler of a dying planet?" so-true

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

I saw Overwatch waifu shit in the trailers and my lack of interest somehow found even more lack of interest.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

There's the weird chapter intro about masturbation or the one scene where they rehearse line-for-line a Monty python movie.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Reddit, the novel. Then Reddit, the movie.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The movie removes these scenes and is better than the book, which is not hard. I would not call it good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

The sequel book is worse than both though. It's horrifying, creepy, loaded with narcissistic excess and "poor me I'm too awesome, the poors are jealous NPCs" jagoff moments, lots of mind control/manipulation sex predator antics shown as "good", and has a "happy ending" that's very epsteingelion coded.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I wonder if either could be worth a dunk read

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

I'd have a hard time doing it. There's a few online reviews, but even in summary, the sequel's a fucking creepy read.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Hated that movie

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Because I needed to know for sure if I belong in Huffledorf or Slitherpuff.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's just as important as knowing where your power meter stands in relation to Glub Shitto in the Star War. how-much-could-it-cost

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

that's a crucial new mechanic in the new game

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Too many "MY CHILDHOOD" g*mers

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They saw the thing and they clapped.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Arf arf arf arf seal

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Dw I'm pretty sure it fell off :)

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

I wonder how many of those buyers were, ironically, "virtue signaling" their devotion and loyalty to their nostalgia treat.