What could Saudi Arabia’s first AAA game be like, following China’s success?

Sun 08 September 2024:

Last month, China made gaming history with the release of the instant hit “Black Myth: Wukong.” An RPG set in mythological China and loosely based on the classical Chinese novel, Journey to the West, it marked the country’s first foray into AAA gaming—blockbuster titles with massive budgets—a notable departure from Chinese developers’ previous focus on mobile gaming, where they already dominate.

Within just three days, “Black Myth: Wukong” shattered records, selling over 10 million copies and reaching 18 million within two weeks, with lifetime sales projected to reach up to 30 million. The game also achieved a peak concurrent player count of 2.2 million worldwide and has overtaken “Cyberpunk 2077” as the most-played single-player game on the online distribution platform Steam.

As a non-Western, non-Japanese contribution, the game faced extensive media scrutiny ahead of its launch, including “controversies” over alleged sexism within the development studio, government censorship on politics and feminist propaganda, and some technical issues upon release.

Despite these challenges, “Black Myth: Wukong” has been hailed as an impressive achievement, boasting spectacular graphics and engaging gameplay. As such, according to many reviewers and gamers, it is a contender for the coveted Game of the Year (GOTY) award.

It also serves as a popular form of soft power projection and tourism promotion, featuring a “digital archive” of numerous real-life historical and cultural sites that have piqued global interest in Chinese civilisation and heritage.

The temples, pagodas, stone carvings, and sculptures in #BlackMythWukong are scanned and remodeled from real-world sites across China. It took years to finish.

A travel heat tracing 🐵Wukong’s path is likely to be sparked! pic.twitter.com/22xUq3Glep

— Li Zexin (@XH_Lee23) August 21, 2024

“Ultimately, the bad press doesn’t matter. For one thing, no one outside China takes the warnings seriously. You wonder how many do inside China,” opined Alex Lo of the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

GAME REVIEW: Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Considering this, Saudi Arabia could be poised to replicate China’s triple-A success. The Kingdom, often criticised for its human rights record whenever it undertakes ambitious new projects aligned with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s (MBS) Vision 2030, has also faced accusations of “games-washing” as it increasingly embraces the gaming industry.

Saudi Arabia’s vision to become a major player in the gaming industry has been backed by vast financial commitments. Last year, Savvy Gaming Group, a subsidiary of the Kingdom’s sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) said it would invest over $38 billion in the local gaming sector aiming to transform the country into a global hub for gaming and esports. The establishment of NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s futuristic mega-city, as “the region’s first true gaming hub” is part of this vision.

NEOM is the brainchild of de-facto ruler MBS, who is a known gaming enthusiast and avid player of Call of Duty. As one of the youngest leaders in the world, he has been a driving force behind Saudi Arabia’s push into the gaming world.

His personal interest in video games is not just a casual pastime; it reflects a deeper strategic understanding of gaming’s potential as a tool for cultural influence and youth engagement. Under his leadership, Saudi Arabia has made several high-profile investments in gaming companies worldwide, including multi-billion dollar stakes in Activision Blizzard and Nintendo.

Riyadh was also the venue of the recently concluded Esports World Cup which, according to reports, led to the city seeing “30 per cent more tourists” in 2024 compared to last year.

The race is certainly on to develop the country’s and, indeed, the region’s first AAA title. In October of last year, Canadian-based Artisan Studios announced plans to set-up a studio in Riyadh with the aim of making the Gulf region’s first commercialised AAA game.

In case you missed it ⚡️

We have partnered with @Astra__Nova

Saudi Arabia’s first free-to-play AAA RPG game will be benefitting from new monetization features that will take gameplay to the next level.

Read more here: https://t.co/UdhqKuknlv

— Shards (@ShardsOfficial) June 5, 2024

In June, Astra Nova was released, as Saudi Arabia’s first AAA free-to-play game, a Web3 “RPG set in a universe on the brink of destruction, offering players a blend of immersive storytelling, strategic gameplay, and next-gen rewards.”

But what could Saudi Arabia’s first true AAA title be like? While the Saudi Kingdom lacks the extensive history of China, it does have immense, important history and culture as the heartland of Islam, offering immeasurable soft power to Muslims around the world. Last year’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage, set in Abbassid-era Baghdad, was commended for its historical authenticity and cultural representation of the Middle East, which Saudi-based studios can look to emulate.

It can even tap into the land’s pre-Islamic past, once shunned for religious and cultural reasons, it is now exploited by Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning tourist industry as a relatively recent development.

Alternatively, a futuristic setting for the first AAA title could offer an intriguing and forward-looking vision, leveraging the concept of NEOM as its setting – offering an “Arab cyberpunk” aesthetic, which steers away from the more stereotypical depictions of the Middle East in mainstream media, including games.

However, Saudi Arabia’s entry into the AAA gaming market will likely generate similar negative press as with China’s. Issues such as women’s rights, freedom of expression and other human rights concerns are likely to be highlighted by critics in the West.

In contrast, the Western AAA gaming market, particularly in the US, has been dominated by narratives that often glorify violence, crime and societal excesses. The highly anticipated release of “Grand Theft Auto VI” (GTA VI) exemplifies this trend. While these games are commercially successful, they tend to avoid criticism by gaming outlets for promoting negative stereotypes and desensitising players to violence, the same outlets which had much to say about Black Myth.

On the flip-side, the controversy surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set in feudal Japan, mainly revolves around the inclusion of Yasuke, a historical African samurai, or retainer as it is debated, as one of the protagonists. Critics argue that this character choice panders to a Western “woke” agenda, straying from the series’ tradition of using fictional main characters.

The madlads did it! Black Myth: Wukong has surpassed Dota 2’s all-time peak on Steam, reaching 1,300,979 players.

EA and other companies were wrong. We are thirsty for great non-DEI single-player games, and Black Myth: Wukong proves it. Reject modernity, embrace the monk 😆 pic.twitter.com/H0HgzSyURR

— LearningTheLaw (@Mangalawyer) August 20, 2024

Many Japanese and Western fans expressed dissatisfaction, claiming the character does not fit the historical context of Japan, and there are concerns about the game’s cultural representation. Critics in Japan launched a petition on 19 June, a month after game-maker, Ubisoft, unveiled a trailer featuring the protagonist, lamenting a “serious lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect”. While Ubisoft acknowledged these concerns of the Japanese community, many in the gaming media have dismissed the objections, attributing them reductively to racism, overlooking the user-driven social media backlash —contrary to the treatment of Black Myth, where controversy was primarily amplified by mainstream media.

For now, Saudi Arabia holds a distinct advantage over regional rivals in gaming’s potential for soft power projection. Unlike other regional powers that rely on traditional forms of influence like religion and tourism, Saudi Arabia, under MBS, is strategically positioned to capitalise on the lucrative gaming market. Especially as older leadership in rival states may not fully grasp the growing influence of gaming in global culture and policy.

As “an increasing number of states are now beginning to consider the gaming sector when planning domestic and foreign policies, while also using games as a tool of both soft power and propaganda”, Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a regional gaming hub places it ahead of the curve.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Independent Press.