https://www.scmp.com/rss/503760/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com After a two-year delay, Netflix’s The Witcher returned on December 17 for its second season to even higher ratings and viewership. According to Digital Spy, the streaming giant revealed that the second season has clocked up a total of 142.4 million viewing hours in only three days – an impressive rise from 76-million-views-a-month for the first season. While fans are treated to grander storylines and high-budget CGI in season two, one supporting character in particular stood out among the rest.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3161674/meet-witchers-new-star-agnes-born-who-plays-vereena?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3161674/meet-witchers-new-star-agnes-born-who-plays-vereena?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 04:30:30 +0000 In general, the fantasy genre has proved a tricky beast to tame. After the phenomenal success of Game of Thrones (GoT), many smart Hollywood producers have been keen to deliver the next big fantasy series. The Witcher – based on the bestselling novel by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski – was released right after GoT ended in 2019 and has since achieved new heights of popularity. The show worked so well that Netflix reported it garnered over 76 million views in its first month alone. After a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3160948/meet-witchers-breakout-star-anya-chalotra-british-indian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3160948/meet-witchers-breakout-star-anya-chalotra-british-indian?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Dec 2021 11:00:27 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The Witcher franchise has a large following in China, largely because of CD Projekt Red’s famous video games, adapted from the stories of Polish novelist Andrzej Sapkowski. The new Netflix show based on the series has had a decent reception in the country. But others are struggling to see past the skin color of some characters. “US show Witcher has inevitably gone overboard with political correctness,” a popular Chinese online commentary read.  The... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3044254/witchers-diverse-cast-criticized-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3044254/witchers-diverse-cast-criticized-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jan 2020 02:00:13 +0000 The Witcher franchise has a large following in China, largely because of CD Projekt Red’s famous video games, adapted from the stories of Polish novelist Andrzej Sapkowski. The new Netflix show based on the series has had a decent reception in the country. But others are struggling to see past the skin color of some characters. “US show Witcher has inevitably gone overboard with political correctness,” a popular Chinese online commentary read.  The Witcher series is inspired by Slavic folklore,... https://www.scmp.com/culture/witchers-diverse-cast-criticized-china/article/3043873?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/witchers-diverse-cast-criticized-china/article/3043873?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jan 2020 02:00:11 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS While Trekkies in the West are rejoicing at the return of Sir Patrick Stewart to the iconic role of Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard, TV fans in China remain baffled. They don’t know what Star Trek: Picard is or why they should care. “Star Trek: Professor X,” said one popular Weibo post. “When I first read the news, I thought it was about Pikachu,” another Weibo user wrote. While fans around the world celebrated new trailers for big-name TV shows... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029495/professor-x-helps-boost-his-dark-materials-china-country-baffled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029495/professor-x-helps-boost-his-dark-materials-china-country-baffled?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2019 15:50:03 +0000 While Trekkies in the West are rejoicing at the return of Sir Patrick Stewart to the iconic role of Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard, TV fans in China remain baffled. They don’t know what Star Trek: Picard is or why they should care. “Star Trek: Professor X,” said one popular Weibo post. “When I first read the news, I thought it was about Pikachu,” another Weibo user wrote. While fans around the world celebrated new trailers for big-name TV shows from San Diego Comic-Con, the reaction in... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/professor-x-helps-boost-his-dark-materials-china-country-baffled-picard/article/3019568?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/professor-x-helps-boost-his-dark-materials-china-country-baffled-picard/article/3019568?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2019 15:50:03 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Since the conclusion of this year’s biggest gaming event, E3, there’s been all sorts of gaming news swirling across the internet. Not surprisingly, Chinese gamers also follow E3 closely. But if you stumble upon a Chinese gaming post or a comment on social media, you might be confused by some of the names being tossed around. Gamers in China regularly refer to companies like “The Dumb Polish Donkey,” “The Potato Factory,” and “GayWare,” among other... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029423/dumb-polish-donkey-old-nin-chinese-nicknames-gaming-companies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029423/dumb-polish-donkey-old-nin-chinese-nicknames-gaming-companies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:39:16 +0000 Since the conclusion of this year’s biggest gaming event, E3, there’s been all sorts of gaming news swirling across the internet. Not surprisingly, Chinese gamers also follow E3 closely. But if you stumble upon a Chinese gaming post or a comment on social media, you might be confused by some of the names being tossed around. Gamers in China regularly refer to companies like “The Dumb Polish Donkey,” “The Potato Factory,” and “GayWare,” among other names. This is because the official names of... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/dumb-polish-donkey-old-nin-chinese-nicknames-gaming-companies/article/3014876?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/dumb-polish-donkey-old-nin-chinese-nicknames-gaming-companies/article/3014876?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:39:16 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019, or E3 2019, has just begun, and the game Cyberpunk 2077 is already taking China by storm, generating hype as it has in much of the world. The highly-anticipated game comes from the Warsaw-based game developer CD Projekt Red, a company Chinese gamers have nicknamed “the dumb Polish donkey.” At E3, CD Projekt Red brought out John Wick star Keanu Reeves, who appears in the game, to introduce Cyberpunk 2077 and reveal... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029408/cyberpunk-2077-instant-best-seller-steam-china-pre-orders-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029408/cyberpunk-2077-instant-best-seller-steam-china-pre-orders-open?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Jun 2019 13:07:24 +0000 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019, or E3 2019, has just begun, and the game Cyberpunk 2077 is already taking China by storm, generating hype as it has in much of the world. The highly-anticipated game comes from the Warsaw-based game developer CD Projekt Red, a company Chinese gamers have nicknamed “the dumb Polish donkey.” At E3, CD Projekt Red brought out John Wick star Keanu Reeves, who appears in the game, to introduce Cyberpunk 2077 and reveal the release date. The company subsequently... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/cyberpunk-2077-instant-best-seller-steam-china-pre-orders-open/article/3013876?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/cyberpunk-2077-instant-best-seller-steam-china-pre-orders-open/article/3013876?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Jun 2019 13:07:24 +0000