An email sent from the Black Myth: Wukong marketing team tells content creators they must not include “feminist propaganda” or use what are called “trigger words” such as COVID-19.
The email, which hit social media after it was sent to a number of content creators by a representative of Chinese games company Hero Games, was verified by IGN over the weekend via a source who asked not to be named. It includes a Steam key to pre-download the game on PC ahead of the Black Myth: Wukong release date of August 20, and a link to a Google document that outlines the “Do’s and Don’ts” for content creators who intend to cover Black Myth: Wukong during its August launch period.
There is just one entry in the “Do’s” category: “enjoy the game!” However, there are five entries in the “Don’ts category,” reproduced below:
- Do NOT insult other influencers or players.
- Do NOT use any offensive language/humor.
- Do NOT include politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization, and other content that instigates negative discourse.
- Do NOT use trigger words such as ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolation' or 'COVID-19'.
- Do NOT discuss content related to China's game industry policies, opinions, news, etc.
While some of these entries, such as the request not to insult other creators or players, or use offensive language, are standard across many content creator agreements, some are not. Asking content creators not to include “feminist propaganda,” mention Covid, or discuss China's game industry policies, for example, are unusual requests and have already been criticized by some on social media in the context of previous reporting on Shenzhen, China-based developer Game Science. IGN has asked Hero Games for comment.
IGN understands this email is intended for content creators who plan to cover Black Myth: Wukong at launch, as opposed to pre-launch reviewers. There is no non-disclosure agreement (NDA) tied to the provision of the Steam key.
Beijing-based Hero Games claims to be the largest external investor in Game Science, which has yet to respond to IGN’s previous report compiling numerous sexist comments made by the studio's founders and other developers spanning the last decade.
IGN has asked Hero Games if the Black Myth: Wukong guidelines are standard for all games it promotes, or if they are a directive from Game Science. Game Science itself has yet to respond.
IGN’s Black Myth: Wukong review returned an 8/10. We said: “Despite some frustrating technical issues, Black Myth: Wukong is a great action game with fantastic combat, exciting bosses, tantalizing secrets, and a beautiful world.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
