Hit Chinese Video Game Seeks to Curb ‘Negative Discourse’

Black Myth: Wukong is one of the most highly anticipated Chinese video games ever, a premium title with a blockbuster-worthy budget that underscores the country’s push to become a global cultural power.

But ahead of its debut on Tuesday, a company affiliated with the game’s China-based developer rankled some influential overseas players with a list of topics to avoid discussing while livestreaming the game.

The list of forbidden subjects laid out in a document under “Don’ts” — politics, “feminist propaganda,” Covid-19, China’s video game industry policies and other content that “instigates negative discourse” — offered a glimpse of the restrictions that content creators face in China as well as the topics deemed sensitive to Beijing.

“I have never seen anything that shameful in my 15 years doing this job. This is very clearly a document which explains that we must censor ourselves,” said Benoit Reinier, a prominent video game streamer on YouTube and a French journalist, in a YouTube video.

Game Science, the game’s developer, and Hero Games, which is handling its marketing, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The game’s release is a landmark moment for China’s gaming industry. It is considered China’s first “AAA” title, a big-budget, global game with sophisticated gameplay and advanced graphics. Chinese news media has reported it is one of the most expensive games ever developed there, with a budget exceeding $50 million.