Chinese action role-playing game (RPG) Black Myth: Wukong has sent shockwaves through the global gaming community and the impact is spreading to the automotive industry, as a Geely-linked firm is testing out new in-car gaming experience with the hit title, TechNode has learned.

Why it matters: Geely’s move shows how software-enabled advanced functionality, from watching video streams on the dashboard screen to letting the car change lanes autonomously, is becoming a decisive factor for vehicle buying in the world’s biggest auto market. Bringing China’s first AAA game to its cars could be a new way for Volvo’s parent to stimulate demand among younger drivers

Details: Ecarx, a Chinese auto tech startup backed by Geely’s chairman Li Shufu, has managed to deliver 2K resolution (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) at nearly 60 frames per second (FPS) when it tested the Black Myth: Wukong on its next-generation digital cockpit computing platform Makalu. That’s according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to 36Kr (in Chinese) on Tuesday.

• The instrument panel, the central information screen, as well as a head-up display (HUD) unit that projects traffic information onto the windshield, were functional while the game was streamed, according to the report. A company spokesperson confirmed to TechNode on Friday that the test is ongoing to improve the gaming performance further. 
• Ecarx announced last March that it had become the second auto firm worldwide to bring in-car entertainment experience with AMD’s laptop graphic chips. The Makalu computing platform consists of AMD’s Ryzen V2000 processors paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs, providing up to 10.1 teraflops of computing power, more powerful than Qualcomm’s latest-generation Snapdragon 8295 chips.
• For comparison, Tesla has also pursued the offering of in-car games as chief executive Elon Musk reportedly claimed in 2020 that owners would be able to play the adventure title The Witcher 3 in its vehicles. AMD said in 2021 that its Ryzen computers and RDNA2 GPUs are powering the infotainment systems in the new Model S and Model X vehicles. Sony also integrates SoCs (System on Chip) from the US chipmaker into its PlayStation 5 consoles.
• The Makalu platform allows game developers to adapt their games to in-car systems by using Unreal Engine, a real-time, three-dimensional graphics creation software from game company Epic Games, which has been used by China’s Game Science for the production of Black Myth: Wukong. Vehicle occupants could therefore play triple-A high-definition video games via Ecarx’s system, the company said on its website. 
• Geely confirmed that the Lynk & Co Z10 large sedan will be the first model to feature a digital dashboard that integrates Ecarx’s latest computing platform. The first all-electric model under the Geely and Volvo Car joint brand will be launched on Sept. 5 following reservations opening on August 15 at a pre-sale price of RMB 215,800 ($30,234). 

READ MORE: Geely’s Lynk & Co 08 to use in-house car software from Meizu for the first time

Context: Global automakers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have been working on mobile technology and artificial intelligence to shape the future of immersive in-car experiences. Meanwhile, NIO and Ji Yue, a Chinese EV brand owned by tech giant Baidu, have enabled users to play the hit racing game Asphalt in their latest models equipped with a Qualcomm semiconductor. 

• Black Myth: Wukong is China’s most successful PC-end game to date after selling around 4.5 million copies across various gaming platforms by far. Inspired by the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West, the action game hosted more than 2.2 million users online concurrently just hours after it was launched on Tuesday, TechNode reported.