By When it came to this year’s Game of the Year award, it was a fairly even race. Even so, the universally loved “Astro Bot” took the crown the other day – a fitting win for the title which was the highest scoring full game on Metacritic this year at 94/100 and has seemingly charmed even the sternest of critics.
That said, the choice has led to a backlash on some corners of online. Some JRPG fans are upset, believing nominees “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” and “Metaphor: ReFantazio” split the vote enough for “Astro Bot” to sail past. Some wanted “Balatro” to win despite the odds against it. Some complained about having never heard of the game or that it was unavailable on their platform of choice.
Perhaps the most voal contingent against the game though are supporters of “Black Myth: Wukong”. By far the lowest Metacritic scoring title of the nominees at 81/100 (all the others were above 90), the title nonetheless has its staunch defenders and did win not just for Best Action Game but also the Players’ Voice award which is publicly selected.
Now that game’s director Feng Ji who posted a lengthy statement on social media site Weibo thanking fans for their support online but also expressed disappointment about the game’s Chinese developer Game Science losing out the top award to Japan-based “Astro Bot” developer Team Asobi. A translated version of the post (via VGC) reads:
“In the end, it won the Best Action and Player’s Voice, especially the Player’s Voice, which is gratifying. But I must admit that there are disappointments and regrets… The games nominated this year are all excellent, but I really don’t understand the selection criteria for this year’s Game of the Year. I came here for nothing!
From yesterday to now, I have also seen strong dissatisfaction, unwillingness, and unhappiness in the comments of many players – most of them expressed in a humorous and deconstructive way, which is hilarious. I can fully understand this unwillingness to sympathize with this unhappiness because I know that behind these emotions, it is not pain and malice, but self-esteem and self-confidence.”
As the outlet indicates, it’s unclear if the overall tone of the post is sarcastic or sincere, though several phrases are jokey in nature.
Despite any potential disappointment, “Black Myth: Wukong” has been a huge commercial success and has sold over 20 million copies across PC and PS5.
The title attracted over 1.44 million concurrent players on Steam, the fourth biggest game ever in terms of concurrent players and a marker especially impressive for a single player game. Game Science is also rumored to be launching an expansion for the game to coincide with the Chinese New Year which starts January 29th.
The post “Wukong” Director Talks Game of Year Loss appeared first on Dark Horizons.
