Black Myth: Wukong Asks Influencers Not to Talk About Politics or ‘Feminist Propaganda’

The Soulslike Black Myth: Wukong launches on August 20. However, the game is courting controversy with how it is asking influencers to avoid politics when talking about the game.

As spotted on Sports Illustrated‘s Video Game section via VGC, Hero Games, who owns a stake in developer Game Science, is asking YouTubers not to mention certain subjects when discussing Black Myth: Wukong. French journalist Benoit Reinier uploaded a video showcasing a document he received from the company with a list of do’s and don’ts. You can view them below via a post from BlueSky user Knoebel:

That is a hefty list. Some make sense, like not using insults or offensive language. But the requests not to mention COVID-19, China’s industry policies, politics, and the “feminist propaganda” definitely raise eyebrows.

Related: Black Myth: Wukong Misses What Makes Soulslikes So Enticing [Review]

While the list is not an NDA nor has anything to do with a review embargo, Reinier will not be showing any gameplay of Black Myth: Wukong because he believes “such ‘recommendations’ should not be sent to content creators in the first place.” Interestingly, these guidelines are only being sent to influencers, not video game journalists or reviewers. Hero Games is perhaps banking on streamers to bring more exposure to its latest title and want to nip any bad press in the bud.

Part of the reason for these requests is due to Game Science having a history of sexism, as IGN reported in 2023. CEO Feng Ji and some of the development team have made misogynistic comments on social media. This is something Hero Games is adamant about not bringing back into the limelight. For me, discussing a company’s sordid past is fair game while discussing its projects. After all, that can influence a customer’s buying decisions. Everyone has their line that can be crossed, though. It remains to be seen if gamers will take a stand against Black Myth: Wukong.