Yin Kai from Zibo, Shandong province does the majority of the action work for the protagonist of Black Myth: Wukong - a monkey-like character based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

In just two months, Black Myth: Wukong won critical acclaim and sold over 21 million copies on Steam. But behind its success lies a key technology: motion capture (mocap). The game's iconic characters like the agile "Destined One" and Pigsy were brought to life through mocap.

This technology has gained widespread attention, particularly in Hangzhou, where several animation and gaming companies have adopted it. Notably, Zoland Animation's "Zhijiang No 1", Asia's largest AI performance animation studio, has integrated this advanced tech into its productions.

Mocap actors like Wang Yuan use body sensors and facial capture to mirror their movements in real-time onto virtual characters. While it's an intense process, the result is highly efficient – animators can produce fast, realistic animations without frame-by-frame work. Over a third of Zoland's animations now employ this technology.

Though not a new technology, mocap has evolved and found major applications in gaming and animation. Favorable policies for Hangzhou's animation industry skyrocketed output to over 50 billion yuan ($7 billion) in 2023. Hangzhou's blend of culture and tech, especially in districts like Binjiang, is shaping the future of animation and gaming in China.

Zoland Animation's Zhijiang No 1 in Binjiang district is Asia's largest AI performance animation studio. [Photo/WeChat account: CCAMuseum]