This year, Black Myth: Wukong, which was released to great acclaim and broke records on Steam with significant support from Chinese players, has made headlines with a rather interesting piece of news. Despite receiving multiple accolades at The Game Awards 2024, the game failed to win the ‘Game of the Year’ award. This outcome enraged Chinese players, but surprisingly, their frustration wasn’t directed at The Game Awards jury or Astro Bot, which won the title. Here are the details!

Chinese players take Wukong’s frustration out on Baldur’s Gate 3!

At first glance, this reaction seems unrelated. However, Chinese players directed their frustration at Baldur’s Gate 3, last year’s ‘Game of the Year’ winner. The reason? A speech by Larian Studios’ CEO, Sven Vincke, during this year’s award ceremony.

In his speech, Vincke emphasized that game developers should focus on creating projects that bring value to players rather than just chasing profits. This statement was interpreted by many Chinese viewers as a critique of Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong.

However, the real issue lay in a mistranslation of Vincke’s remarks. The irony and humor in his speech were lost during translation, leading to widespread misunderstanding among viewers. As a result, Baldur’s Gate 3 was bombarded with negative reviews on Steam.

Players tried to voice their protests by negatively impacting Baldur’s Gate 3’s Steam reviews. Interestingly, the game’s overall rating remains overwhelmingly positive at 96%. This suggests that while the campaign by Chinese players didn’t affect the game’s general reception, it succeeded in sending a notable social message.

Black Myth: Wukong has generated significant anticipation among players, amplifying the disappointment within the Chinese community. Nevertheless, this incident highlights how player reviews can sometimes serve not only as evaluations of games but also as platforms for political or social statements.

What do you think? Did Black Myth: Wukong not receive the recognition it deserved? Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments!