Black Myth: Wukong Is Back on CCTV, This Time Digging Into Its Roots

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CCTV9 has returned to Black Myth: Wukong as a cultural reference point. In the first episode of the documentary series Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West, titled Are There No Heroes in This World?, the program again mentions Game Science's Chinese action RPG, describing it as a game rooted in Chinese mythology and adapted from Journey to the West, one of China's Four Great Classical Novels.

The context matters more than the mention itself. Black Myth: Wukong was not discussed in a sales segment, a technology report, or an industry roundup. It appeared inside a documentary about Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West. The episode first introduces the game as an action role-playing title based on Chinese mythology, with its story drawn from Journey to the West, then turns to recent film and television works based on the same source before moving into a broader discussion of Wu Cheng'en and the cultural meaning of the original novel.

That makes the appearance feel less like routine exposure and more like cultural framing. Players may start with image quality, frame rate, combat feel, polish, and overall completeness. In the context of a CCTV9 documentary, though, the question is different: how does a modern digital work reconnect with the narrative tradition of Journey to the West? That question sits outside the usual review talk about boss design and level pacing, but it also helps explain why the game keeps being brought up.

The contrast with other Chinese single-player games is clear as well. Plenty of games work perfectly well within their genre, but far fewer become recurring subjects for media outside the games space because of their cultural source material. Since its release on August 20, 2024, Black Myth: Wukong has drawn global attention through its Eastern aesthetics, its reinterpretation of Journey to the West culture, and its high-quality action gameplay. CCTV News and CCTV Finance had already covered it multiple times before; this latest CCTV9 mention shows why it is being discussed beyond the games audience.

The documentary itself also does not treat the game as an isolated case. According to the official description, Wu Cheng'en and Journey to the West aims to examine how Wu Cheng'en, building on earlier works, created China's first full-length romantic gods-and-demons novel from the classical era, while also offering new interpretations of the characters and cultural spirit of Journey to the West. By placing Black Myth: Wukong near the opening, the episode uses contemporary 3D imagery and game storytelling to show why Journey to the West can still be rewritten and reimagined.

For players, the practical takeaway is not that a CCTV mention turns the game into required playing. The more reasonable read is narrower. If you already enjoy action RPGs on PC or console, and you are interested in a visual reconstruction of Journey to the West, the sustained attention around Black Myth: Wukong is not coming from nowhere. If you mainly want lightweight entertainment or a mobile game you can dip into briefly, it is plainly not the same kind of purchase. Across platforms, its most unusual quality is not just its visuals, but its ability to sit simultaneously inside game reviews, industry reporting, and cultural programming.

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