Black Myth Wukong is the biggest game in the world right now. And it has taken the world by storm, selling over 10 million copies since its launch. But weirdly enough, the game hasn’t launched on Xbox due to optimization issues. Or so we thought.
However, new reports suggest that the real reason may be more about business strategy than technological problems. While the developer Game Science has remained tight-lipped, insiders now hint at a possible exclusivity deal with PlayStation that could be behind the delay.
Black Myth Wukong Is a PlayStation Exclusive Now?!
Initially, Black Myth: Wukong‘s absence from Xbox was because of an alleged technical issue. Specifically, it was rumored that the game was struggling with a memory leak problem, which can severely degrade performance by causing the game to crash.
Interesting, so it’s about business strategy, not tech limitations. Guess Xbox players will need some extra patience (or a PlayStation) for this one!
— ⭕ S A H I N (@Sahin_OG) August 29, 2024
This theory gained traction following reports from a Spanish leaker who claimed to have spoken with the developers at Gamescom, suggesting that this issue was the main reason the game had not passed Xbox’s certification process.
Game Science assured Xbox players that the delay was purely due to the need for further optimization and that they aimed to release the game as soon as it met their standards. But new reports hint at a different reason for the delay—an undisclosed exclusivity deal with PlayStation.
Newly released reports from Forbes and IGN (via an undisclosed source) have pointed to an exclusivity deal between Game Science and Sony. This would be a very weird decision from both parties since Sony in particular has now been shy to claim exclusives in the past.
This Is a Crazy Development For What Has Become The Biggest Game of 2024
The idea of a secret exclusivity deal raises questions about the business strategies at play. If such a deal exists, it could explain why Game Science and Sony have been reluctant to discuss it openly. Exclusivity agreements are not uncommon in the gaming industry, but they are typically announced with great fanfare, not shrouded in secrecy.
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Despite these claims, neither Game Science nor Sony has confirmed the existence of such an exclusivity deal. The conflicting reports have left fans speculating about the true nature of the delay. The memory leak issue seems increasingly unlikely as the sole reason for the Xbox version’s delay.
Memory leaks are challenging to fix but not uncommon in game development. It’s also unusual for such an issue to result in an indefinite delay. Moreover, the game has already been released on PC and PlayStation 5, where it has received positive reviews despite some minor performance issues.
From a business perspective, an exclusivity deal with PlayStation could make sense for Game Science, a relatively small studio compared to industry giants. The financial incentives offered by Sony might outweigh the potential revenue from an Xbox release.
For now, Xbox users can only wait and see whether Black Myth: Wukong will eventually make its way to their consoles.
