Dec 17, 2024 11:17:00

Producer of 'Goku: The Dark Side of the Galaxy' posts angry message about missing out on Game of the Year (GOTY) award, apparently had his acceptance speech prepared two years in advance

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Black Myth: Goku' is an action RPG from China that sold 10 million copies in just 83 hours after its release in August 2024, and has sold a total of 21 million copies as of October 2024. This work was also seen as a strong candidate for the Game of the Year (GOTY) at the 2024 The Game Awards , but Astro Bot won the 2024 GOTY. The producer of 'Black Myth: Goku' was not convinced that this work missed out on GOTY, and posted an angry message on Weibo, the Chinese version of Facebook.

TGA 颁奖已经过了... - @Yocar-冯骥's Weibo - Weibo
https://weibo.com/6603744955/P4QUZdptZ

Black Myth: Wukong's producer seems upset he didn't win GOTY | Polygon
https://www.polygon.com/awards/497206/black-myth-wukong-goty-loss

Feng Zhi, CEO of Game Science, the developer of 'Goku: The Dark Side of the Galaxy,' and producer of the game, posted on his Weibo account his thoughts on missing out on The Game Awards GOTY.

Regarding The Game Awards, Ji said, 'We are the first Chinese game to be nominated in four categories (Best Action Game, Best Art Direction, Best Game Direction, and GOTY) at The Game Awards. And winning the Player's Voice Award is especially gratifying. However, I must admit that I feel a sense of loss and regret.' He suggested that he was not satisfied with the results.

He continued, 'All the games nominated for The Game Awards this year were great, but to be honest, I still don't understand what the criteria for GOTY were.' 'From yesterday to today, I have seen a lot of players' comments expressing strong dissatisfaction and unwillingness, most of which were expressed in humorous and deconstructed ways that made me laugh so hard I could die. I can completely understand this resistance and feel the same discomfort, because I know that behind these emotions lies not pain or malice, but self-esteem and confidence. If you are so confident in 'Goku', but you are not properly recognized by others, it is only natural that you will become a little angry.' He said that fans are as dissatisfied as Ji that 'Goku' did not win GOTY.

Ji also said, 'I'm actually more confident than the fans. I wrote my acceptance speech for The Game Awards two years ago.' He revealed that he had been preparing the speech he would give when he won The Game Awards GOTY for two years.

Ji said, 'It feels like it was a waste to come this far,' and expressed his disappointment at missing out on GOTY. However, overseas game media Polygon wrote, 'Ji and Game Science must have had a pretty good understanding of The Game Awards' GOTY award criteria. This is evident from the fact that it was one of the six finalists. 'Black Myth: Wukong' attracted attention as the first AAA title made in China. If success at The Game Awards was part of the plan, it was a success. However, Ji was eager to win GOTY, the highest award at The Game Awards, and he honestly expressed his feelings about missing it,' showing some understanding of Ji's disappointment.

In fact, Ji said, 'Some people say that it is a low probability coincidence that a team that has never made a standalone game before will achieve such results with their first standalone game, and that it will be difficult to reproduce in the future. However, I would like to say that this is not a coincidence, but the inevitable result of the collision of Chinese culture, Chinese talent, Chinese business environment, Chinese game industry, and a huge number of players around the world. If we had not recognized this 'inevitability' early on, we would not have been able to make such a solid choice. This is not a gamble, but a conscious creation of a trend. Game Science was fortunate to participate in and witness the beginning of this 'trend'. I believe that there will be more peers in the future who will bring better, more interesting and more confident Chinese stories to the world. ' He claims that the huge success of 'Black Myth: Goku' is not a product of chance.

In response to Ji's Weibo post, comments were posted on the social message board site Reddit, such as 'It sounds arrogant and harsh' and 'It sounds like humorous self-mockery.'

This is not the first time Ji's comments have caused controversy: In 2023, after IGN reported on the sexist culture surrounding 'Goku: The Black Myth,' Ji made vulgar, sexist remarks on social media.

Polygon wrote, 'While Ji's post may seem like vulgar sour grapes or a breach of entertainment industry etiquette, that may well be his intention.'