I'm glad Wukong hasn't accepted collaboration with SBI, this game has been on my radar a while since it's based on the same story Dragon Ball is, Journey West. It's always fun to see different takes on it, like Saiyuki for PS1, a hidden gem by Koei that's a tactical RPG like Final Fantasy Tactics.Sweet Baby Inc. has become a huge presence in the gaming industry. They influenced the development of many current and upcoming games; however, the Black Myth Wukong developers disagreed to work with the company.
Why it matters: Game Science, the studio behind Black Myth Wukong, is being called out for lacking diversity in its title and not depicting political correctness. This is reportedly due to the studio not consulting Sweet Baby Inc. during development.
According to a Chinese media press release, Game Science refused to take the company’s guidance as they demanded an unbelievably high $7 million. Agreeing to the offer would’ve added forced inclusivity to the game and removed creative freedom from the developers.
It is also interesting to note that Sweet Baby Inc. is more influential in the West. Games from Asian regions typically aren’t influenced by them, though there are exceptions, like the Silent Hill 2 Remake.
Nonetheless, this won’t impact Black Myth Wukong in any meaningful way. One might even expect the game to be better because of Game Science’s refusal.
While diversity and representation in games are not wrong, forced inclusivity seems like an unwise move. It makes even less sense for a game like Black Myth Wukong, which is based on existing source material.
Sweet Baby Inc. is also known for not caring much about its projects. Therefore, Game Science likely made a wise decision. Many have even argued that Sweet Baby Inc. has no place in gaming.
Nonetheless, Black Myth Wukong is due for launch in August.
Despite this small controversy, the game has dominated both Steam’s wishlists and best-sellers list recently. Therefore, audiences remain excited for this Souls-like, hoping for an exciting adventure in a few months.
It's really disappointing that Silent Hill 2's remake has worked with what's essentially the worst company in the game industry though, and it makes me very concerned for Metal Gear Solid 3's remake since it's also from Konami. MGS3 isn't my favorite entry in the MG series by a long shot, but I still want it to be true to the original.