While most punters seem surprisingly pleased with Geoff Keighley's latest instalment of The Game Awards (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's robbery aside), it appears at least one executive took home sour grapes in place of a hoped-for statue. Game Science CEO and Black Myth: Wukong producer Feng Ji went on an impressive, extended scree on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, declaring, "I came [to The Game Awards] for nothing", as well as taking umbrage with the allegedly wishy-washy criteria for how Game of the Year is selected.
The exact tone of the seven-paragraph rant can be difficult to parse at times, occasionally invoking poetry and literature, and the current economic state of China (as well as being machine-translated and edited for clarity, thanks TheGamer). Still, some quotes are quite stark, and we can't imagine the general intent is lost. It's worth remembering that Wukong was nominated for five awards and ultimately won Player's Choice and Best Action Game, which is more recognition than most games receive.
Ji expressed confusion at TGA's selection process for the Game of the Year category and regrets not having a chance to speak onstage, claiming to have written his victory speech two years ago. Invoking the power of the Player's Choice award, Ji said: "I have also seen strong dissatisfaction, unwillingness, and unhappiness in the comments of many players—most of them expressed in a humorous and deconstructive way, which is hilarious."
Ji says that Wukong's undeniable commercial success was all part of the plan, the inevitable result of the studio's culture: "Some people say that a team that has achieved such results with its first stand-alone game is a small probability, an accident, and it is difficult to copy in the future. I want to say that this is not an accident. It is the inevitable result of a collision between Chinese culture, Chinese talents, China's business environment, China's game industry and the vast number of players worldwide. It's not a bet; it's a ride."
Former IGN and Sony Santa Monica writer Alanah Pearce alleges that at least one Game Science developer could be seen weeping from her seat in the front row of the Game Awards audience. This act is fine in and of itself; we're allowed as many crying breaks as we like here at Push Square, and Keighley himself was clearly overcome with masculine emotion on the main stage while introducing an Okami sequel trailer. Still, it suggests that perhaps the developers had their expectations set a hair too high, and it detracts from the spirit of good sportsmanship and camaraderie these events are supposed to engender.