Black Myth: Wukong publisher issues bizarre directive on what streamers can (and can’t) say

Ahead of Black Myth: Wukong’s Aug. 20 release date, publisher Hero Games (acting 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 “instigates negative discourse.” Several organizations, including gaming content agency GLHF and Forbes, confirmed that Hero Games did indeed send out a document of “Do’s & Don’ts” that was shared on BlueSky by French content creator and writer Benoit “ExServ” Reinier. GLHF confirmed that at least two streamers were sent the “Do’s & Don’ts” list, which has been published in full online. The guidelines say the streamers can’t “insult other influencers or players,” “use any offensive language/humor,” “include politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse,” “use trigger words such as ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolation’ or ‘COVID-19,’” or “discuss content related to China’s game industry policies, opinions, news, etc.” Polygon has reached out to Game Science and Hero Games for comment. Restrictions are common when receiving early review codes for video games. There are embargo agreements, which dictate the time at which an outlet or creator can release information about the game; Polygon agreed to a review embargo for Black Myth: Wukong, which included an OK’d publish time. Embargo agreements that critics and journalists sign do not include restrictions on opinions about the content or information outside of the game itself, although 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 restricted the writer from sharing “too many details about the game’s plot outside of a couple chapters,” for instance, according to the review writer. That’s where Hero Games’ review guidelines for creators like Reinier diverge from the industry norm. Given the content of the game, Hero Games’ guidance that these creators shouldn’t discuss violence is befuddling: Toward the end of the release date trailer, a character who appears to be half person, half crab crushes a human’s skull within its hands. The notice to avoid discussing the Chinese video game industry may refer 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 issues rules regarding gaming time limits and spending. According to The New York Times, the agency seemingly “backpedaled” from a highly restrictive plan that would have further limited video game spending because the proposal “tanked video gaming companies’ stocks and raised doubts about the government’s commitment to reviving China’s slowing economy.” The restriction of “feminist propaganda” may be related to an IGN report from 2023 in which the outlet investigated alleged sexism at Game Science and within the Chinese gaming community. For the story, IGN spoke to “several women familiar with gaming culture, as well as the games and technology industry, in China” who reported “misogynistic remarks” from developers at Game Science, including co-founder Feng Ji. Game Science hasn’t publicly responded to the claims in writing, or to journalists at preview events. Outside of the strange restrictions around coverage, Black Myth: Wukong has been reviewing quite well: Polygon called the game “both confounding and spectacular to behold.” On gaming review aggregator Metacritic, Black Myth: Wukong has an early score of 81, which is considered “generally favorable.” But no matter how many good reviews Black Myth: Wukong gets, controversy still seems to surround every step of the game’s journey.