Westward Journey
Encyclopedia
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
developed and run by NetEase
NetEase
NetEase is a Chinese internet company that operates 163.com, a popular web portal which received over 546 million page views in June of 2005. The company has grown rapidly since its founding in June 1997, thanks in part to its investment in search engine technology and massively multiplayer...
. After its initial release it began experiencing serious technical problems and was closed for reworking, to be reopened several months later as "Westward Journey II". Another MMORPG, Fantasy Westward Journey
Fantasy Westward Journey
Fantasy Westward Journey is a MMORPG developed and run by NetEase. The game is the most popular online game in China as of May 2007 by peak concurrent users , with a peak count of 1.5 million. Registered users reached 25 million by April 2005, with 576,000 peak concurrent players on 198 game...
, uses the same engine with a different graphical style. Westward Journey is one of the most popular online games in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, with a peak concurrent user count of 588,000 as of March 2005 and with over 56 million registered accounts, ranking it in the top 3 MMORPG games in China at the time. Registered users reached 83 million by July 2006.
The content of the game is heavily inspired by classical Chinese literature: the title is a reference to one such source, Journey to the West
Journey to the West
Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
. Unlike many Western MMORPG's, the games feature prominent nudity and anti-religious themes. "Westward Journey II" met with controversy when the State party closed it for several months, due to criticism of the party in-game.