Game Science, the developer of Black Myth: Wukong has recently announced that the game will have a delayed release on Xbox Series X|S due to it not meeting “quality standards.” This is very reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate 3, which also had a delayed release for Xbox consoles.
Because of Microsoft’s dual console structure, devs cannot release games exclusively for the Series X and ignore the Series S. This requires extensive optimization for games being made for Xbox since the Series S is a weaker system. This has led to widespread criticism of the Series S architecture.
Xbox Series S is Giving Developers a Hard Time With Optimization
Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered one of the best RPGs of 2023, if not of all time. And even it faced a delay before getting an Xbox release due to numerous optimization issues. Before the game could run smoothly on the Series S, Larian Studios had to put in a lot of work. Most of this was particularly in terms of memory and performance during multiplayer sessions.
In an interview with IGN back in Dec 2023, Swen Vincke, the game’s director, talked about how the studio had to take some extra time to make sure Baldur’s Gate 3 worked properly on the Series S. This optimization took longer than expected, delaying the game’s Xbox release despite its successful launch on other platforms.
So we have to do a lot of optimizations to get it all into memory, especially on Series S if you are playing in multiplayer. We need to simulate a lot of stuff at the same time. We’re there now, so we optimized performance, we optimized memory. It took us a bit of time to get there, but it’s there now.
And now in 2024, Black Myth: Wukong‘s developers, Game Science, have postponed the Xbox release due to optimization issues. According to the game’s FAQ page, the studio needs additional time to meet the quality standards for the Xbox version. This does not affect the PlayStation 5 and PC versions and they will be available as scheduled.
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by inXboxSeriesS
This delay suggests that developers are still struggling with the Series S, similar to the difficulties Larian Studios faced with Baldur’s Gate 3. While the precise reasons are unclear, the repeating theme of difficulty with the Series S could mean that there are deeper systemic problems.
The Xbox Series S is an Example of Great Idea, Bad Execution
When the Series X and S first came out, Microsoft’s aim was to make next-gen gaming more accessible. Fans loved the Series S and praised the idea of making a more budget-friendly console. But this idea may not have been completely optimal with the ongoing optimization struggles that have been made apparent in the last few years.
The most obvious reason for this problem is the difference in features between the Xbox Series X and Series S. While the Series X has hardware capabilities comparable to the PlayStation 5, the Series S is significantly less powerful. This makes it hard for developers since they are required to develop games that run smoothly on both consoles.
There have also been plenty of other games that have faced these issues so Baldur’s Gate 3 and Black Myth: Wukong are not standouts. The Series S has a weaker GPU and a more limited memory bandwidth which often requires additional resources and time.
This results in potentially compromised game quality and delayed releases for games. And while the initial intention and idea were solid, it does raise questions of whether the Series S can truly stand as a next-gen console.
And so, this may ultimately affect both gamers and developers in gaming especially since more games push the boundaries of current-gen hardware. As the limitations of the Series S become more apparent, it could potentially affect the place it has in the market and its appeal to players.
