Game Science, the developer and part-time publisher of the new RPG Black Myth: Wukong, sent keys to various bloggers, journalists, and reviewers ahead of the project’s official release. However, some creators also received an additional document with a list of things that should not be discussed or mentioned in the context of the new game. Forbes writes about it.

The document contains a list of do’s and don’ts. The list of do’s and don’ts contains only one item: enjoy the game. But the list of things you shouldn’t do is already longer. The document specifies the following restrictions:

  • Do NOT insult other influencers or players;
  • Do NOT use any offensive language/humor;
  • Do NOT include politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization and other content that instigates negative discourse;
  • Do NOT use trigger words such as ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolation’ or ‘COVID-19’;
  • Do NOT discus content related to China’s game industry, policies, opinions, news, etc.

This document was not sent to journalists who received a key to Black Myth: Wukong for review. Instead, it was sent to several content creators, such as streamers, bloggers, or YouTube video creators. The email was sent from @yingxiong, which leads to Hero Games, Game Science’s marketing partner. This document was sent before the key to the game was sent.

While the topic of COVID-19 is an obvious trigger for China, the ban on feminist propaganda may be related to earlier reports that highlighted the “history of sexism” in the studio. Though it is not entirely clear how these topics are related to Black Myth: Wukong at all.

Game Science developers did not provide any comments on such requirements for creators.

Black Myth: Wukong will be released on August 20, 2024 on PlayStation 5 and PC. The developers also plan to release the game on Xbox Series X|S, but it will be released later and the exact date is still unknown. They also recently presented the final trailer of the game.