Black Myth: Wukong ‘imitator’ listed on Nintendo eShop
New Switch game Wukong Sun: Black Legend criticized over Black Myth: Wukong similarities
An upcoming game has been called out for seemingly attempting to cash in on the success of Black Myth: Wukong by imitating aspects of the popular title.
The title in question, Wukong Sun: Black Legend, is due for release on the Nintendo eShop on December 26, 2024.
Priced at $7.99, it’s a 2D action game rather than a big budget 3D one like Black Myth: Wukong, but they share the same source material, and its name and promotional art bear notable resemblances to Game Science’s blockbuster title.
Inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong was released this summer and reportedly sold over 20 million copies in its debut month.
“Embark on an epic Journey to the West in Wukong Sun: Black Legend,” reads the eShop listing for the upcoming game. “Step into the role of the immortal Wukong, the legendary Monkey King, as he battles through a chaotic world teeming with powerful monsters and untold dangers.
“Explore a story inspired by Chinese mythology, filled with action-packed battles, stunning environments, and legendary foes.”
According to Business Insider, posts labelling the game a knock off quickly topped discussion rankings on Weibo, one of China’s leading social media platforms.
And popular internet news account Pear Video wrote: “Well-known games have been plagued by imitations for a long time. Malicious developers exploit the names of well-known games, reskin various small games, and put them on the shelves of big game stores with similar titles, deceiving uninformed consumers to buy and download.”
Nintendo didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Nor did Global Game Studio, which is listed as Wukong Sun: Black Legend’s developer and publisher.
The creative director of indie hit Unpacking recently called out Nintendo for its apparent inaction over trademark infringements on the Switch eShop.
Over the last couple of months several similarly named and themed ‘Unpacking’ titles have started being sold on Nintendo’s online marketplace.
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“Nintendo hasn’t responded to any of our reports of these egregious scams which are using our trademarked game name and purposely tricking Nintendo customers into buying cheap fakes,” Unpacking developer Wren Brier said last week.
A knock-off of The Last of Us was briefly available to purchase on eShop last year before being pulled from sale once it came to the attention of IP owner Sony and platform holder Nintendo.
