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Black Myth Zhong Kui will arrive in 2027. On 20 August 2025, towards the end of Opening Night Live at Gamescom in Cologne, the Chinese developer Game Science took to the stage with its brand-new IP. It then unveiled the game’s first CGI teaser trailer. Following the enormous success of Black Myth: Wukong, the cinematic trailer for this new game sparked widespread discussion and great anticipation among players around the world. In this article, we share everything we found online, including some interesting details.
Black Myth Zhong Kui: what we know
Although the game is still in the early stages of development and has no confirmed release date, its distinctive mythological theme and visually stunning trailer have already captured the interest and imagination of a global audience. As the second entry in the Black Myth series, it continues the exploration and artistic depiction of Chinese mythology.
Zhong Kui is a legendary figure in Chinese mythology, known as the “Demon Hunter”. He is portrayed as an imposing man with a long black beard, bulging eyes and a stern expression, often wearing a scholar’s robe and holding a sword. His image is commonly displayed on doorposts to ward off evil spirits and keep the family safe, a practice known as “repelling evil and avoiding calamity”.
The Chinese legend
According to legend, Zhong Kui was a brilliant scholar who excelled in the imperial civil service examination, known as the “Keju”. However, because of his unattractive appearance, the emperor unjustly stripped him of the title of “Zhuangyuan”, the highest-ranking scholar. Devastated by this injustice, Zhong Kui took his own life. Moved by his integrity, the King of the Underworld appointed him “King of Ghosts”, entrusting him with capturing and disciplining evil spirits.
The story of Zhong Kui became widely known during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. The emperor, suffering from a prolonged illness, dreamed of Zhong Kui subduing evil spirits. Upon waking, he recovered and commissioned the renowned painter Wu Daozi to create an image of Zhong Kui. This portrait became iconic. Tales of “Zhong Kui vanquishing ghosts” are deeply rooted in Chinese folklore, and it is common for households to hang his image as a protective talisman to repel evil and ward off misfortune.
More interesting details about Black Myth Zhong Kui
In Black Myth: Zhong Kui, Game Science has reinterpreted the legendary ghost hunter with a blend of respect for tradition and bold innovation. Zhong Kui now appears with a densely curled, pitch-black beard and wears dark blue mechanised armour. His shoulder guards draw inspiration from the broad eaves of Chang’an architecture, and he wields a folding fan that transforms into a razor-sharp blade.
The trailer hints at allies and unsettling architecture, showing an elegant tiger in the saddle, whose wet, matted fur conveys realism. The goblins carry his spirit-slaying weapon, highlighting the team’s attention to atmospheric detail.
In an unexpected twist, a little ghost in the CGI trailer breaks the solemn tone with dialect-style phrases such as “Bro, give me a hand here!”. This colloquial humour suggests that this version of Zhong Kui could have a more approachable, easy-going charm, adding warmth and reducing the usual sense of mythic distance.
The game’s development status
According to official information, Black Myth: Zhong Kui is a single-player action role-playing game (ARPG), using the same paid model as the previous game. The project is still at a very early stage — so early that the development team described it as “little more than an empty folder”, with no actual gameplay to show yet.
Game Science explained that, to avoid disrupting development, it chose to release a short CGI teaser first. This allowed the studio to announce the official start of the project, despite not yet having much to share. Although it runs for just over a minute, the trailer immediately sparked excitement among players worldwide.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui represents the ultimate expression of the aesthetics of Chinese tales of the strange, with every shot steeped in Eastern mysticism.
