Chinese AAA role-playing game eyes global release amid industry growth

CHENGDU, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Riding the wave of global interest ignited by "Black Myth: Wukong," another Chinese-developed AAA role-playing game, "WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers," is now set to step onto the international stage.

Developed by Chengdu Lingze Technology Co., Ltd. based in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, "WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers" is set for global release on July 24. The game soared to the top of Steam's China bestseller chart on its pre-order debut this April and ranked eighth worldwide, drawing significant attention from players around the globe.

Set in a mythic world inspired by ancient Chinese legends, "WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers" invites players to step into the shoes of a lone female warrior, embarking on a journey through towering mountains, ancient temples and forgotten ruins, in a quest to uncover lost memories and hidden truths.

The game draws heavily from the ancient Shu civilization, a prominent culture in southwest China known for its distinctive bronze masks and archaeological sites such as Sanxingdui, according to Guo Xinyi, CFO of Lingze Technology.

To authentically bring this world to life, the development team at Lingze Technology conducted six years of extensive field research, including 3D scanning at dozens of cultural and historical sites -- like the Anyue Stone Carvings and Taoping Village in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The result is a vivid recreation of these ancient landmarks within the game.

Drawing inspiration from classical texts such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas," the developers also integrated regional myths and local legends to craft a unique and immersive cultural atmosphere.

The developers view the project as a fusion of gameplay and cultural narrative, ensuring it is both captivating and firmly grounded in Chinese tradition.

"We wanted to make a game that is, above all, fun to play," said Xia Siyuan, CTO and game producer at Lingze Technology. "We believe that only when players truly enjoy the game will they be motivated to explore the cultural stories behind it."

"The ancient Shu civilization was a natural foundation for us to build this world upon," Xia added. "We want the world to see that Chinese culture is full of creative potential."

"WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers" is set to launch on major global platforms, including Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, the studio said. Industry insiders see the game as a potential milestone in China's push to expand its footprint in the global AAA gaming market.

AAA games, typically defined as requiring a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of resources, are high-cost, high-quality, large-scale single-player titles. The market has long been dominated by developers from countries such as Japan, the United States and France.

The upcoming release of "WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers" is part of a broader trend toward diversification and rising quality in China's gaming industry. Other highly anticipated Chinese titles include "Showa American Story," "Lost Soul Aside" and upcoming downloadable content for "Black Myth: Wukong."

China is the world's largest gaming market, with domestic sales revenue surpassing 325 billion yuan (about 45.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024. Also, the 2024 China gaming industry report showed that China had 674 million gamers, while domestically developed games achieved overseas sales of 18.56 billion dollars last year, indicating the increasing international influence of Chinese games.  ■