Black Myth Wukong Studio CEO Wrote Game of the Year Acceptance Speech Two Years Ago; Questions Selection Criteria of The Game Awards

[summaraize]

It seems Game Science’s CEO isn’t happy their game, Black Myth Wukong, didn’t win the highly-coveted Game of the Year award at this year’s The Game Awards. Black Myth Wukong was beaten by Team Asobi’s Astro Bot, which snagged the most prestigious award, though it did win the Best Action Game and the Player’s Voice awards.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough, as Game Science CEO and the producer of Black Myth Wukong, Feng Ji, just went on a tirade on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where he  questioned the award-winning body’s decision process.

Black Myth Wukong Studio CEO Goes on a Rant for Not Winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024

There’s a lot to take in here, so we’ve broken the important points Feng Ji has mentioned in his rant in chunks (translated by ChatGPT via Reddit).

The Game Awards this year coincided with a major update for Black Myth: Wukong. For me personally, this project that spanned seven years has officially come to an end.

The four nominations (Best Action Game, Best Art Direction, Best Game Direction, and Game of the Year) were a first for a Chinese game. Ultimately, we took home Best Action Game and Players’ Voice. Especially winning Players’ Voice was gratifying.

Yet, I must admit, there’s a sense of loss and regret. More than anything, though, there’s a letting go of illusions.

The games nominated this year were all exceptional, but honestly, I still can’t figure out what the criteria were for Game of the Year. I feel like I came all the way here for nothing!

Feng Ji mentions how he has seen a lot of “strong dissatisfaction and frustration” in players’ comments, which he says were expressed humorously or ironically. We’ve seen it transpire with a review-bombing of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam. Nope. we’re not joking, and you can read about it here. Not only that, but Feng Ji continues by saying he wrote his winner’s acceptance speech two years ago!

I completely understand these feelings and share the frustration, because behind these emotions lies not pain or malice, but dignity and confidence.

When you’re so confident and yet don’t receive the recognition you expected, it’s natural to feel upset.

Personally, I’m even more confident than most of you (as you can see from my first-ever answer on Zhihu). In fact, I wrote my Game of the Year acceptance speech two years ago—only to never get the chance to deliver it!

During the development of this game, many of my colleagues weren’t as optimistic as I was. Having tested so many interim builds, they couldn’t help but focus on the game’s flaws and doubt whether we could meet deadlines.

One of my main roles in the company was reassuring everyone: We’re doing great, and the product is improving.

Because here’s the thing—you can’t just be confident when you’ve already won. That’s not confidence; that’s parroting results.

Sure, we lost today. We might lose again tomorrow. So what?

There are countless factors that influence outcomes, and results are always uncertain.

What we can control is choosing what we do: tackling real challenges, doing hard things, pursuing what we believe in. When you’re doing these things, you should absolutely have confidence.

Feng Ji also talks about how their success is not a fluke but the “inevitable outcome” of Chinese culture, talent, and business environment. Feng Ji thinks this is but the start, as more Chinese studios will bring high-quality and engaging Chinese stories to the world.

Some have said that a team with no prior experience in single-player games achieving such success on their first attempt is a rare, unrepeatable fluke.

I’d like to say: This was no fluke. It’s the inevitable outcome of Chinese culture, Chinese talent, China’s business environment, China’s gaming industry, and gamers worldwide coming together.

If we hadn’t recognized this “inevitability” early on, we wouldn’t have been so determined to make this choice. This wasn’t a gamble; it was following the tide of history.

Game Science is fortunate to have participated in and witnessed the beginning of this tide. I believe many more peers will, in the future, bring higher-quality, more engaging, and more confident Chinese stories to the world.

The rant ends on a good note, as Feng Ji acknowledges how the studio’s ability to make and play games already makes them fortunate.

In truth, just being able to make and play games already makes us incredibly fortunate.

In this world, many people have never even had the chance to play so-called AAA games, never used a console or computer, and feel lost, pained, or even despairing in the face of their circumstances. Many are suffering from hardship and injustice.

Precisely because of this, we must strive to create better games—ones that bring truth, goodness, and beauty to more people.

I’ve always believed that the greatest value of good games lies in making happiness more evenly distributed in this world.

The road ahead is long, the winds still fierce, and the demons still arrogant. But we are always growing stronger.

Feng Ji closes it by saying he hopes “the story of Black Myth: Wukong can give some courage to those who are still feeling lost, and perhaps shed a bit of light for those still groping in the darkness. Then, with a calm heart, we can all keep moving forward.”

I suggest reading the entire thing to fully grasp what the Game Science boss was trying to convey.

Is this a case of something lost in translation, or did Feng Ji really criticize the awards show since his game didn’t win? I personally hope it’s the former, as this doesn’t paint a good picture for Game Science and even the game.

In other Black Myth Wukong news, the game just got an update that not only added PS5 Pro support, but a bunch of new features as well.

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