TMTPOST--The highly anticipated domestic AAA game, "Black Myth: Wukong," was finally launched on Tuesday, marking a monumental moment in the gaming industry.

Just minutes after its release at 10 a.m., the game surged to the top of global app store bestseller lists, maintaining its high visibility until well past 10 p.m., when it set a new record for concurrent users on Steam.

According to analysts, Black Myth: Wukong has already grossed over 1.5 billion yuan ($210.2 million). The title also had a huge amount of pre-orders, which helped it top the Steam charts several times before launch.

The global reaction has been electrifying. Social media platforms are buzzing with trending topics, mainstream media are streaming gameplay live, and many companies have even given their employees a day off to play the game. The gaming industry has been given a fresh, elevated label, receiving unprecedented attention.

However, while this may seem like a day of universal celebration, the reality is more complex. Feedback from industry insiders shows a stark contrast between the euphoria surrounding Black Myth: Wukong and the more subdued reactions from other sectors of the gaming industry.

For developers focused on mobile games, online games, and mini-program games that contribute significantly to the industry's overall revenue, the success of a blockbuster title like Black Myth: Wukong has also shed light on technologies behind it.

Game Science Studio (what is this studio? Its relationship with the title Wukong) said on Tuesday that they switched to Unreal Engine 5 partway through development, which has created another buzz in the industry.

Unreal Engine, developed by Epic Games, is a real-time 3D creation tool known for its top-tier graphics rendering capabilities, suitable for high-end PC and console games. Beyond gaming, Unreal Engine is also used in film production, architectural design, virtual reality, and 3D simulation.

As one of the most advanced technologies in game development, Unreal Engine integrates cutting-edge graphics technology and programming frameworks to provide high-quality visual effects and efficient development workflows. It stands at the pinnacle of game development engines.

Despite its high performance, many Chinese developers have been hesitant to adopt it, mainly due to its steep learning curve and complexity. Mastering Unreal Engine requires significant time and expertise, which has deterred many in the industry.

In May 2020, Epic Games announced Unreal Engine 5, aiming to simplify the creation of detailed game worlds without extensive asset optimization. Its powerful features and support for high-detail rendering have further driven advancements in gaming and film industries.

UE5 has been widely adopted in AAA games, including Epic's own titles such as "Fortnite" and "The Matrix Awakens," as well as in film and TV production, such as Disney's "The Mandalorian."

By April 2022, UE5 was officially available to developers. Prior to this, Game Science Studio had already begun using UE5.

In a September 2021, Feng Ji, a co-founder and CEO of Game Science Studio, said that they had previously developed a 2.5D game with the Wukong theme before Black Myth: Wukong.

Zhao Wenyong, a co-founder and technical director of Game Science, praised UE5, noting that the transition from UE4 to UE5 was unexpectedly smooth, even faster than the upgrade from UE4.24 to UE4.26. The upgrade process involved minimal API changes and allowed the game project to run with fewer issues.

The Game Science team appreciated UE5's Nanite and Lumen features, which not only improved visual quality but also enhanced art creation efficiency. Nanite significantly reduced the difficulty of performance optimization for scenes, while Lumen eliminated the need for lightmap baking and allowed for real-time lighting iteration, speeding up the production of realistic lighting levels.

On the release day of Black Myth: Wukong, NVIDIA's official website published an article highlighting the game's use of full-path ray tracing and DLSS 3 (AI rendering technology). According to NVIDIA, the game's graphics and technology have reached new heights, making it one of the most immersive and technologically advanced games to date.

Full-path ray tracing, also known as path tracing, provides exceptional lighting, effects, and immersion. Although this technology requires higher hardware specifications, it renders light rays and their effects with high accuracy. It enables the creation of lifelike cinematic visuals, previously unattainable in real-time video games.

Before the advent of RT Core-equipped GeForce RTX GPUs and AI-driven NVIDIA DLSS acceleration technology, real-time full-path ray tracing was not feasible. In Black Myth: Wukong, this technology enhances lighting, reflections, and shadows' fidelity and quality, with water reflections showing all surrounding details. Water caustics and particle effects also enhance realism, making battles more dynamic and intense.

The in-game lighting system uses full-path ray tracing to ensure pixel-perfect indoor and outdoor lighting, with light being accurately blocked or omitted from obscured areas. The technology's integration with shadow systems delivers high-resolution details, including soft and hard shadows, without aliasing, and accurately renders even distant and complex structures.

Ray tracing presents challenges for rendering particles, especially since they are often semi-transparent and can cause visual sequencing issues. However, Black Myth: Wukong employs a new technique for transparent rendering, using two levels of ray tracing to efficiently render particle systems in real-time, significantly enhancing realism and immersion.

Additionally, Black Myth: Wukong supports DLSS 3 technology, allowing players with RTX 40 series graphics cards to improve performance and frame rates. For instance, RTX 4080 SUPER users can achieve nearly 74 FPS, while RTX 4070 Ti SUPER users can enjoy approximately 66 FPS at 4K resolution. NVIDIA has also released a Game Ready driver specifically for the game.

While advanced game development technologies have enabled the creation of high-quality projects, the reality for many in the industry is less rosy. The process of mastering game engine technologies, particularly for art and programming, remains challenging.

Despite Unreal Engine's premier status, few developers in China have fully embraced it. The domestic market's low demand for AAA titles has resulted in a scarcity of companies and positions seeking Unreal Engine expertise. The industry's lack of appreciation for high-end technology has led to a situation where, unless driven by passion, many developers see the time invested in learning such challenging skills as potentially unproductive.

Moreover, Unreal Engine's steep learning curve involves navigating extensive official tutorials and documentation, often in English. Many developers in China, who have a background in arts rather than technical subjects like math and physics, find this particularly challenging. The rapid pace of technological advancements and frequent updates to the engine make it difficult to keep up.

Despite the high starting salaries for positions requiring Unreal Engine skills, many developers remain indifferent, preferring roles in faster-moving projects with more immediate rewards. The long development cycles and uncertainties of AAA games like Black Myth: Wukong deter many from investing years into such endeavors.

Nonetheless, there is optimism that the domestic gaming industry's progress will eventually lead to greater recognition and utilization of cutting-edge technologies. As the industry evolves, it is hoped that advancements like those demonstrated in Black Myth: Wukong will become more widely adopted and valued in China.