Developer Game Science has been asked to justify a document circulated among influencers and content creators that demanded that coverage of Black Myth: Wukong not include references to Covid-19, “politics” or “feminist propaganda.”
When the document first leaked online over the weekend, journalists were quick to point out that it didn't match the documentation given to critics reviewing the game, leading some to assume it was fake.
However, a subsequent investigation by VideoGames.si and Forbes journalist Paul Tassi confirmed that the document (distributed on behalf of Game Science by marketers Hero Games) was authentic.
The document states that “by using the game key and creating content,” influencers “acknowledge that they have been informed” of a list of dos and don'ts, which tells them to “enjoy the game” but not to: insult other influencers, use offensive language or humor, “include politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse.”
Players were also banned from using “trigger words” such as quarantine, isolation or Covid-19, and from discussing “content related to China’s gaming industry policies, opinions, news, etc.”
Neither Game Science nor Hero Games have responded to our request for comment.
The list of “dos and don'ts” comes after accusations of sexist recruitment and social media posts were directed at developer Game Science last year.
In 2013, the studio's co-founder and lead artist Yang Qi wrote a lengthy post on Weibo saying that games for men and women differ due to biological differences.