Black Myth: Wukong released earlier this week and has since climbed to the top of Steam charts, becoming one of the most played games of all time on the platform. The action-RPG from Chinese developer Game Science is available on PC and PlayStation, but hasn’t yet launched on Xbox. While Microsoft has not clarified the reason for the delay, Black Myth: Wukong’s launch on Xbox Series S/X has reportedly been pushed back over a “tech issue.”
Black Myth: Wukong on Xbox Series S/X
According to a report by Forbes, The Xbox launch of Black Myth: Wukong hasn’t been delayed because of an exclusivity deal between Sony and Game Science. The game has reportedly not arrived on Microsoft’s console simultaneously with other platforms because of a “tech issue.”
The report doesn’t clarify the technical issue with an Xbox version of the game, but one can gauge it might have something to do with optimising the game for both the higher-end Xbox Series X and the less powerful Xbox Series S.
Earlier this year, Game Science had clarified the reason for the game’s delay on Xbox Series S/X in the FAQ section of the game’s website. “PC and PS5 users can enjoy the full game starting August 20, 2024. We are currently optimizing the Xbox Series X|S version to meet our quality standards, so it won’t release simultaneously with the other platforms,” the developer had said. “We apologize for the delay and aim to minimize the wait for Xbox users. We will announce the release date as soon as it meets our quality standards.”
Black Myth: Wukong is built in Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 and is a graphically demanding title that could likely face issues with running smoothly on Xbox Series S. The underpowered console has previously acted as a hurdle for games launching on Xbox. Baldur’s Gate 3 was released on Xbox Series S/X months after launching on PC and PS5 because developer Larian Studios struggled to make the game’s split-screen co-op feature work optimally on Series S. The game eventually released on the platform without the split-screen mode.
Microsoft, as policy, enforces gameplay feature parity between both of its current-generation consoles and the company intends for games to launch on both Xbox Series X and Series S simultaneously.
Black Myth: Wukong arrived on PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store) and PS5 on August 20. Since launch, it has gone on to become the second most-played game on Steam, behind only PUBG: Battlegrounds, with its all-time peak concurrent player count hitting over 2 million users on Valve’s platform.
