Promotional material for Black Myth: Wukong Photo: VCG

 
China's first AAA game Black Myth: Wukong saw a mysterious and sudden drop in its support rate in a poll initiated by renowned gaming website IGN on Tuesday, plummeting from 90.4 percent, the top of the list, to 74.4 percent in less than two hours and continuing to decline, which prompted many players and some leading game professionals to question the poll.

As of Thursday afternoon, the support rate declined to below 67.6 percent.

On September 18, IGN released its "Game of the Year 2024" nominations, with Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth ranked first and Black Myth: Wukong in third place.

According to an explainer, IGN pairs all eligible games released this year into groups of two. Participants select one game from each pair, determining the "winner" of the duel. 

Some players posted screenshots which showed that Black Myth: Wukong experienced over 4,000 duels within five minutes and lost all of them, while other games lost only 200 to 300 in the same period.

It is also noted that IGN released a tweet on the same day mentioning four of the top five games without Black Myth: Wukong.

Currently, the top-rated game on IGN's site is the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Golden Tree, followed by Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, with Black Myth: Wukong in the third place.

Many netizens rallied in support of Black Myth: Wukong, questioning, "Where is Wukong?" 

Former Blizzard producer Mark Edward Kern, also known as Grummz, called out IGN on his X account on Tuesday, asking, "Are you cheating?" He suggested that IGN manipulated the user votes for Game of the Year, erasing Black Myth: Wukong's lead.

He noted the timestamps and voting numbers, claiming the game's support dropped from 90 percent to 74 percent in the span of an hour. In contrast, the support rate for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth did not see much increase.

Following the drop, Fudan University professor Shen Yi posted on Sino Weibo, prompting people to consider how to select trustworthy data as a reference when looking for genuinely enjoyable games in global rankings. 

Peer Schneider, former IGN edit lead as well as a member of IGN Genie Game Help & Tools Group, posted on his X account in response to the controversy, saying IGN didn't change any votes. As the face-off is still open for months, it's likely the winners will change a few times, he posted.

Zhang Zhen, a veteran player, told the Global Times that he certainly hopes that Chinese games can go global. However, if the evaluation standards cannot be unified, whether it is considered Game of the Year or wins the TGA becomes less important. After all, Wukong doesn't care, and neither do the players, and the new world record of over 2.2 million peak concurrent users for the single player game and the nearly 20 million copies sold speak for themselves, he said.

It is reported that as this year has not seen a plethora of outstanding games, many players who have experienced Black Myth: Wukong believe it has the potential to contend for the best of the year.

Jiang Yao, co-founder of the well-known game review site Gcores, told the Global Times that the game has already achieved notable recognition overseas, both in sales data and through the dissemination by foreign content creators. This is an important step for the Chinese gaming industry as it moves toward the global market, and it carries significant meaning.

"The appeal of this game lies in its special depiction of different cultures for global gamers. Many of the in-game buildings and landscapes are based on traditional cultural heritage sites, such as the Shanxi and Dunhuang grottoes. For players, its significance lies in serving as a way to learn about Chinese culture," Natto, a Chinese professional game reviewer, told the Global Times, indicating the spread of Chinese culture regardless of a ranking.

Liu Mengfei, a game studies scholar from Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times that currently, many foreign players on YouTube are delving into "Journey to the West," seeking to understand Chinese culture more deeply. The active involvement of players in exploring and sharing Chinese culture indicates the game's success on different levels.