The ongoing saga of Black Myth: Wukong’s absence from Xbox platforms continues to unfold, with a new update this week that reignites the debate. Game Science, the game's developer, has once again put itself at odds with Microsoft, raising questions about the real reasons behind the game’s delay on Xbox. This has been a topic of contention since August 2024.
The latest controversy stems from a Weibo post by Feng Ji, the director of Black Myth: Wukong, who lamented that optimizing the game for the Xbox Series S was "impossible" due to the console’s limited shared memory. According to Ji, achieving the desired optimization would require “several years of optimization experience.” This remark has reignited the debate surrounding the game's absence from Xbox, as it appears to contradict previous statements from Microsoft.
To recap the timeline: back in August, it was noted that Wukong was missing from Xbox despite being a massive hit on other platforms, especially on PC, where it became the second-most concurrently played game on Steam. Game Science initially cited optimization issues with the Xbox Series X/S as the reason for the delay. However, further reporting and sources close to the situation suggested that the delay could actually be linked to an exclusivity deal rather than hardware limitations. This led to confusion, as other reports, including those from industry insider Jeff Grubb, argued that no exclusivity deal was in place.
Microsoft’s response, as quoted in previous reports, was clear: “We’re excited for the launch of Black Myth: Wukong on Xbox Series X|S and are working with Game Science to bring the game to our platforms. [...] we can confirm that the delay is not due to Xbox platform limitations.” This statement seemed to suggest that the hardware was not the issue.
In November, a somewhat cryptic exchange between Phil Spencer and Game File’s Stephen Totilo did little to clear up the situation. When asked about the game’s potential release on Xbox, Spencer remarked, "I do know," but stopped short of confirming anything. This left the situation still very much up in the air.
Now, with Feng Ji's recent comments about the Xbox Series S's technical limitations, the conversation has circled back to hardware concerns. However, these new remarks seem to contradict Microsoft's previous statements that the delay was not due to hardware limitations. This raises the question: is Game Science struggling with optimizing the game for Xbox, or is there something else at play?
The issue of an exclusivity deal remains unexplained by both Game Science and Sony, and while Microsoft has consistently denied any such agreement, the situation continues to be clouded in ambiguity. If an exclusivity deal did exist and has now expired or is about to, the technical challenges could still be lingering.
Industry insiders, like Jez Corden from Windows Central, have pointed out that the mixed statements from both Game Science and Microsoft have led to speculation that a deal may exist or once existed. The absence of clarity does not reflect well on Microsoft, as it still does not have Black Myth: Wukong on its platform months after its release, despite the game being one of the biggest titles of 2024.
As of now, I have reached out to Microsoft for further clarification, but due to the holiday season, they have indicated that it might take some time to respond. Once I receive an update, I will provide a new piece with more information if there is anything substantial to report. For now, the situation remains unresolved, and both Sony and Game Science have yet to comment further.
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