(Yicai) Jan. 20 -- Almost CNY3 million (USD410,000) worth of ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ branded products were sold within three days of the opening of the highly popular action-adventure game’s flagship store on Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding’s Tmall platform, indicating how copyrighted merchandise is gaining popularity among young Chinese people.

There were over 30 Black Myth dolls, accessories and other derivative products on sale in the Tmall store when it opened on Jan. 15, Yicai noticed. But three days later, many of the items had sold out and there were only 24 products left. The estimated delivery time of some of the items still available had been extended to ‘within 90 days.’

Although some consumers said the merchandise was too expensive and others said the quality was poor, this did not deter a huge number of fans from snapping up branded products at this online shop. For instance, more than 500 people bought an item priced at CNY499 (USD68) within the first three days of opening.

Game Science, the developer of 'Black Myth: Wukong,' said earlier this month that it is linking arms with Hangzhou-based Alibaba’s intellectual property operation management and commercialization platforms to strengthen the game’s brand influence in the IP derivative market. Shenzhen-based Game Science also said it is forming a dedicated team to design, produce and market Black Myth merchandise.

The robust sales of Black Myth peripheral products is the first wave of commercial success and reflects the game’s strong market appeal, Zhang Shule, a game industry analyst, told Yicai. But to become a super IP, the developer needs to extend the copyright beyond toys to films, television series and theme parks.

As the spending power of young people born after 2000 grows, the size of China's derivatives market based on licensed works such as animation, comics and games is expanding rapidly.

The scale of China's animation, comics and games’ derivatives industry is expected to surge more than two-and-a-half times in 2029 from 2023 to CNY590 billion (USD80.6 billion), with an annual compound growth rate of 18 percent, according to estimates by the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute and the Zhejiang Securities Research Institute.

Editor: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor