A set of guidelines for those streaming Black Myth: Wukong has been leaked, and it's full of weird dos and don'ts.
Ahead of the release of a potential GOTY, the company behind Black Myth: Wukong sent out an email to streamers about what they can and can't talk about.
One Do, Many Don'ts
The guide contains only one do:"Enjoy the game!" But on the other hand, there are a lot of weird don'ts that most players probably wouldn't think of.
The first few don'ts seem pretty normal. "Do NOT insult other Influencers or players" or "Do NOT use offensive language or humor". But then it gets weird.
- Do NOT include politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization and other content that instigates negative discourses
- 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.
Well, that escalated quickly. It's understandable that there's a no-nudity and no-fetishization policy, but how did they come to the conclusion streamers will talk about "feminist propaganda" and why is there a specifically a "COVID-19" listed as an extra topic? And why are you not allowed to talk about the Chinese game industry while playing a Chinese game?
Black Myth: No Women
This isn't the first time the game and feminism have been at the center of a controversy. In a recent preview, Screen Rant wrote that:
As far as Chapters 1 and 2, while characters are clearly fictitious and fantastical creatures, there were no female or feminine NPCs, enemies, or bosses present.
The decision was criticized because it made the female tester feel like female gamers weren't welcome in the game.
Reviews for Black Myth: Wukong have been strong so far, with some critics seeing the game as a GOTY candidate. But, these guidelines have obviously not been well-received, and we expect the game to now be under tight scrutiny. We'll see how well the game sells on August 20.