In anticipation of Black Myth: WukongIn celebration of the game’s August 20 release date, publisher Hero Games (on behalf of developer Game Science) reportedly sent a strange directive to several video game streamers who received early codes for the game: don’t talk about anything that “fuels negative discourse.”
Various organizations, including gaming content agency GLHF And Forbesconfirmed that Hero Games did indeed send out a ‘Do’s & Don’ts’ document that shared on BlueSky by French content creator and writer Benoit “ExServ” Reinier.
GLHF confirmed that at least two streamers received the ‘Do’s & Don’ts’ list, which is published completely onlineThe guidelines state that streamers may not “insult other influencers or players,” “use offensive language/humor,” include “politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishism, and other content that fuels negative discourse,” use “trigger words such as ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolation’ or ‘COVID-19’” or “discuss content related to Chinese gaming industry policies, opinions, news, etc..” Polygon has reached out to Game Science and Hero Games for comment.
Restrictions are common when it comes to receiving early review codes for video games. There are embargo agreements, which dictate at what point an outlet or creator can release information about the game; Polygon agreed to a review embargo for Black Myth: Wukongwhich included an approved release window. Embargo agreements that critics and journalists sign don’t include restrictions on opinions about content or information outside of the game itself, though there are sometimes guidelines or requirements that prevent outlets from spoiling the game in its entirety before it’s released to players — Polygon’s agreement for Black Myth: Wukong the writer refrained from sharing “too many details about the game’s plot outside of a few chapters,” the reviewer said. That’s where Hero Games’ review guidelines for creators like Reinier diverge from the industry norm.
Considering the content of the game, Hero Games’ policy that these creators cannot discuss violence is astonishing: Towards the end of the release date trailera character that looks like half human, half crab, crushes a human’s skull with his hands.
The notice not to discuss China’s video game industry may be a reference to how restrictive the Chinese government can be regarding games in the country. China’s National Press and Publication Administration oversees what gets published in China and what doesn’t, and it sets rules regarding gaming time limits and spending. According to The New York Times, the agency has apparently backed down from a highly restrictive plan that would have further limited spending on video games because the proposal “sent video game company shares plummeting and raised doubts about the government’s commitment to reviving China’s slowing economy.”
But no matter how many good reviews there are Black Myth: Wukong there still seems to be controversy surrounding every step in the game’s journey.