Black Myth: Wukong has finally received a release date for its long-expected Xbox version.
As revealed by developer Game Science, the Xbox Series X/S version will launch on 20th August, with pre-orders starting on 18th June. Further, the game will be discounted on PlayStation and PC in June.
The Xbox release date is exactly a year after the game’s initial release on PS5 and PC last year, seemingly lending credence to previous claims the Xbox version was missing due to PlayStation console exclusivity.
Ahead of its release last year, Game Science stated Black Myth: Wukong wouldn’t be available on Xbox at launch.
What followed was months of speculation, with many suggesting the limitations of the Xbox Series S console were to blame. Game Science itself said it was optimising the game “to meet our quality standards”.
However, reports suggested the real reason for the delay was an undisclosed exclusivity deal between Game Science and PlayStation.
Microsoft itself later clarified the delay was not due to “platform limitations” and a representative stated the company wouldn’t comment “on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders”.
Then, at the start of this year, Game Science CEO Feng Ji appeared to contradict Microsoft, stating on Weibo: “But that 10G shared memory, I can’t really get it without a few years of optimisation experience.”
There’s another theory: Game Science has regularly released trailers on 20th August each year as it’s the day many celebrate the birthday of Wukong, the monkey king. Perhaps, then, the company has simply waited for this convenient date.
As for the official line, Game Science has stated: “Bringing Black Myth: Wukong to Xbox Series X/S – and ensuring the experience met our internal quality standards – was no easy feat. Fortunately, we were able to complete this challenging task smoothly within the first year of the game’s official release.”
Black Myth: Wukong has been a huge success since its release last year, selling 10m copies in just three days. It’s considered China’s first AAA release and has helped shift the Chinese games industry towards PC and console gaming.
Indeed, its success has changed the game for Chinese developers creating action-RPGs, including the likes of Tides of Annihilation, Phantom Blade Zero, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, and more.