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The reveal
Black Myth: Zhong Kui was officially announced on August 19, 2025, during Gamescom Opening Night Live in Cologne, Germany. It was the show-closing surprise, presented by host Geoff Keighley, who introduced it as starring "the ghost-catching god who wanders between Hell and Earth." A CG teaser trailer debuted alongside the announcement.
The trailer
The CG teaser opens on a fog-shrouded scene with two little demons struggling to carry a massive sword, Zhong Kui's iconic ghost-slaying blade. Zhong Kui then appears riding a massive tiger into a rain-soaked town at night, flanked by ogre attendants. The atmosphere is dark, wet, and foreboding.
Zhong Kui is shown in blue-black mechanized armor with shoulder guards designed after the flying eaves of Tang Dynasty Chang'an architecture. His black, coiled beard is visible, but his face is partially obscured. The overall aesthetic is grittier and more armored than the traditional robed scholar of classical paintings. The tiger's wet, matted fur was a particular visual highlight.
The rebrand
Alongside the announcement, Game Science rebranded its official social media accounts from "Black Myth: Wukong" to simply "Black Myth", signaling that the franchise had grown beyond a single game. This aligned with the broader Black Myth series vision and the studio's seven registered trademarks.
Reception
The trailer hit over 10 million views on Bilibili (China's largest video platform) within 24 hours. "Zhong Kui" trended on Weibo immediately. The international reception was enthusiastic but more measured. Many Western viewers were less familiar with Zhong Kui's mythology compared to the globally recognized Sun Wukong.
Inside China, the reaction was intense. Black Myth: Wukong had turned Game Science into a source of national pride in the gaming space, and the Zhong Kui announcement was received as confirmation that Wukong was not a fluke.
Timing
The August 19 date was deliberate. Game Science releases content every August 20th, the anniversary of Wukong's 2020 gameplay reveal. The Gamescom slot fell one day before that anniversary. Feng Ji acknowledged the timing was intentional. He framed the CG trailer as being made "to inform everyone that this new project has officially entered development status", mirroring the approach they took with Wukong's early reveal.
What was not shown
The trailer was entirely CG, no gameplay. Game Science was upfront about how early the project was, describing it as "little more than an empty folder." No platforms, no release window, and no story details beyond the character. The honesty about the game's early state was notable; most Gamescom reveals involve games further along in development.