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Tencent-Backed Video Game ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ Hits Record Player Numbers on Debut 

The logo of Tencent is seen at Tencent office in Shanghai, China December 13, 2021. (Reuters)
The logo of Tencent is seen at Tencent office in Shanghai, China December 13, 2021. (Reuters)
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Tencent-Backed Video Game ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ Hits Record Player Numbers on Debut 

The logo of Tencent is seen at Tencent office in Shanghai, China December 13, 2021. (Reuters)
The logo of Tencent is seen at Tencent office in Shanghai, China December 13, 2021. (Reuters)

A new video game title launched on Tuesday by a Tencent-backed startup has quickly become the most-played game on a major online platform, highlighting growing interest in Chinese-developed titles.

"Black Myth: Wukong," based on the Chinese mythological figure and classic novel "Journey to the West," topped Steam's most-played games chart with 1.4 million concurrent players hours after its release.

Game Science, the developer behind "Black Myth: Wukong," was founded in 2014 by former Tencent employee Feng Ji. The company has secured backing from several investors, including Chinese tech giant Tencent and mobile game publisher Hero Entertainment.

First teased in 2020, the game has attracted global attention as a high-budget title from China. Pre-orders opened on June 8, with the game topping Steam's China sales chart for the week of Aug. 6-13.

The Tuesday launch also made waves domestically, with "Black Myth: Wukong" trending on social media. The hashtag ranked second on Weibo, China's popular microblogging platform, accumulating 1.7 billion views.

Several major brands have leveraged the game's popularity in their marketing efforts. Lenovo Group, Luckin Coffee, and Didi are among those incorporating elements inspired by "Black Myth: Wukong" into their promotional campaigns.

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Technology

Microsoft Faces UK Lawsuit over Cloud Computing Licenses

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
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Microsoft Faces UK Lawsuit over Cloud Computing Licenses

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)

Microsoft faces legal action in Britain over a claim that thousands of businesses using cloud computing services provided by Amazon, Google and Alibaba could be paying higher license fees to use Windows Server software.

Competition lawyer Maria Luisa Stasi filed a case at the Competition Appeal Tribunal on Tuesday, claiming that British businesses and organizations could collectively be owed more than 1 billion pounds ($1.27 billion) in compensation.

"Put simply, Microsoft is punishing UK businesses and organizations for using Google, Amazon and Alibaba for cloud computing by forcing them to pay more money for Windows Server," she said.

"By doing so, Microsoft is trying to force customers into using its cloud computing service Azure and restricting competition in the sector."

Separately, Britain's competition regulator is investigating cloud computing, a market dominated by Amazon's AWS, Microsoft's Azure and, to a lesser extent, Google Cloud Platform.

Microsoft's licensing practices, for example for its Windows Server and Microsoft 365 products, are part of its inquiry.

It is due to update on its investigation imminently.

Microsoft in 2020 introduced new license fees for running its software on major cloud providers.

The claim alleges it then used the fees to induce customers to use its Azure platform.

Data from the Competition and Markets Authority published in May showed Microsoft was winning customers at a significantly higher rate than other cloud providers since it made the licensing change.

The United States Federal Trade Commission last week opened a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, including its cloud computing business, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The FTC is examining allegations the software giant was potentially abusing its market power in productivity software by imposing punitive licensing terms to prevent customers from moving from Azure to competitive platforms, sources said last month.