BEIJING, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Game Science, backed by

Chinese tech giant Tencent ( TCTZF ), surprised games

enthusiasts on Wednesday by releasing a trailer for a follow-up

to last year's smash hit "Black Myth: Wukong".

The new action role-playing game, "Black Myth: Zhong Kui",

is the second entry in the "Black Myth" series, inspired by a

mythical ghost-catching figure in ancient Chinese folklore, Game

Science said.

The less than two-minute trailer features Zhong Kui, an

imposing red-bearded character, riding a majestic tiger with two

demons carrying a giant sword.

The video has so far racked up over nine million clicks on

Bilibili ( BILI ), a Chinese online video sharing website. It

was simultaneously debuted during Gamescom's Opening Night Live

showcase in Germany's Cologne, where highly-anticipated upcoming

gaming titles were presented.

Game Science did not say when it would launch the game and

no in-game footage was made available as the project is still in

early development, the company said on X.

Fans voiced excitement on Chinese social media following the

success of "Black Myth: Wukong", which depicted the magical

monkey king from the Ming Dynasty epic "Journey to the West".

Some, however, were perplexed why the developer chose to

embark on a new project while many are still waiting for new

downloadable content (DLC) for the Wukong game.

Game Science founder Feng Ji responded on Weibo ( WB ): "A DLC

would certainly be a good option, but at this moment, what we

really want is to create a brand-new Black Myth game - with new

heroes, new gameplay, new visuals, new technology and a new

story."

Game Science revealed the first gameplay footage of "Black

Myth: Wukong" exactly five years ago, attracting millions of

views and thrusting the then little-known studio into the

limelight. Wukong was officially released on August 20, 2024.

The game topped Steam's most-played games chart with 1.4

million concurrent player hours after its release and went on to

sell millions of copies.

Wukong has been widely lauded as China's first AAA game -

projects with high development costs, long production cycles and

immense investment. It has ignited strong interest in more such

games from China and been applauded by Beijing as a way of

promoting Chinese culture.