Gamers were very excited when Black Myth: Wukong, a Soulslike just like Elden Ring, was first revealed a few years ago. The excitement has remained at all-time highs, especially given the game’s release on August 20th.
This action RPG, inspired by the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West, looks absolutely amazing. But recently, Xbox players received some bad news: the game’s release on their console is delayed indefinitely.
The Optimization Issues for the Elden Ring Competitor
The developers of the game, Game Science, revealed that there are problems optimizing the game for the Series S, and hence, even the Series X version will be delayed since Xbox requires console parity between both of them, and any game can’t skip the other console.
The Series S is the cheaper, less powerful sibling of the Series X. While it’s a great console, some developers have found it tricky to get their games running smoothly on it. Baldur’s Gate 3 last year was also delayed on Xbox for the same reason.
Black Myth: Wukong is a visually stunning game, pushing boundaries with its graphical fidelity, granular details, and art direction. But squeezing all that performance out of the Series S might be more complicated than expected. Some reports have suggested that optimizing for the Series S has been causing headaches for several developers over the years, which is likely a big reason for a lot of games not performing as well on it, even at lower resolutions and frame rates.
For Xbox players, this news is a bummer. With the indefinite delay of the game, they might feel like they’re missing out on the next big thing, especially since the game has been compared to Elden Ring in terms of its potential impact and overall hype. It is also a Soulsborne-inspired game, drawing comparisons to and inspiration from other FromSoftware games.
Black Myth: Wukong’s PlayStation Exclusivity Rumors
Rumors that PlayStation paid for exclusivity for the game are unconfirmed at this time. This rumor suggests that Sony wants to make the game a PS5 exclusive to boost its already strong line-up of exclusive titles. But these claims don’t hold much water.
First off, if PlayStation had secured an exclusivity deal, it would have been clearly announced. Sony is known for being upfront about these things, like with Helldivers 2. Sony also provides marketing and development support for these third-party console exclusives, and there’s no way to hide it unless the developers are lying about the Series S optimization issues.
Plus, Black Myth: Wukong was initially announced for multiple platforms. It wouldn’t make sense for Sony to buy exclusivity after the fact. Developers and publishers usually announce exclusivity from the get-go to maximize the impact of the news.
While it’s understandable that some players are frustrated, it’s essential to remember that these delays are usually about making the best game possible. Developers don’t want to release a subpar version just to meet a deadline. If the game needs more time to polish, it’s probably for the best. Baldur’s Gate 3 also was very well optimized for Xbox when it eventually came to the platform a few months later.
Are you looking forward to Black Myth: Wukong? Let us know in the comments
