What Language Powers Black Myth: Wukong and What It Means for China’s Software Industry

Black Myth: Wukong has become a cultural phenomenon, praised for its stunning visuals, fluid combat, and deep cultural references, even receiving attention from national media.

Programming language used: The game is primarily written in C++ , with some components in C# and other languages, because it runs on the Unreal Engine, whose core source code is written in C++.

The Unreal Engine is an open‑source project that can be used freely for learning or non‑commercial projects, but commercial products must pay a 5% royalty after the first $1 million in revenue, as stipulated by Epic Games' licensing agreement.

Despite the game's success, the Chinese game development landscape remains dominated by mobile and online games because they offer faster development cycles and quicker monetization through in‑app purchases and subscriptions. This market pressure discourages investment in large‑scale, high‑budget 3A titles that require extensive C++ expertise.

In the broader Chinese software industry, Java and Python are the dominant languages due to their low learning curve, rapid development speed, and rich ecosystems, making them ideal for quickly delivering products in a competitive market.

Conversely, C++ development teams are scarce; hiring C++ engineers is costly and time‑consuming because the language demands deep knowledge of memory management, operating‑system concepts, and has a steep learning curve, leading to longer development cycles that clash with the market’s demand for speed.

As a result, many foundational software components—such as operating systems, game engines, databases, and browsers—are still largely sourced from foreign vendors, while domestic developers focus on websites, apps, and mini‑programs.

The author hopes that the success of Black Myth: Wukong can inspire more Chinese companies to invest in C/C++ talent and build core infrastructure, eventually allowing Chinese software and game products to compete globally and generate sustainable revenue.