“Black Myth: Wukong” was released on August 20 and became an instant hit, with sales exceeding 10 million copies within three days of release. The action RPG from Chinese developer Game Science is available now on PC and PS5, with plans for Xbox Series S/X at a later date. Previous reports have cited technical issues as the reason for the game’s delays on Xbox. Now, new information reveals that Black Myth: Wukong is yet to launch on Xbox due to an exclusivity deal with Sony.
Sony deal said to delay Black Myth: Wukong Xbox release
Forbes reported on Thursday that an exclusivity agreement that prevented Black Myth: Wukong from being released on Xbox Series S/X was not a technical issue as previously reported. The information was confirmed in a separate report by IGN on Friday, which cited a source familiar with the matter as saying that Game Science has signed an exclusive deal with Sony.
The report describes reports of technical issues on Xbox delaying the release of Black Myth: Wukong as “inaccurate” and claims that neither Sony nor Game Science announced the exclusivity agreement or reported the technical issues that delayed the Xbox game to Microsoft.
Black Myth: Wukong has sold more than 10 million copies across all platforms.
(Data as of 21:00 on August 23, 2024, Beijing time)Thank you to all players around the world for your support and love.
Have a great gaming weekend!#黑MythWukong pic.twitter.com/mp3mk9JxrX— Black Myth: Wukong (@BlackMythGame) August 23, 2024
This new information not only contradicts previous reports, but also contradicts Game Science’s statement explaining Black Myth: Wukong’s delayed release on Xbox Series S/X. Earlier this year, Game Science claimed in the game’s website’s FAQ section that it needed more time to optimize the game for the platform.
“PC and PS5 users can enjoy the full game starting August 20, 2024. We are currently optimizing the Xbox Series X|S version to meet our quality standards, so it will not be released at the same time as other platforms,” the developer said. “We apologize for the delay and want to minimize the wait time for Xbox users. We will announce a release date as soon as our quality standards are met.”
Sony and Game Science have not yet confirmed the existing exclusivity agreement between the parties. The developer has yet to announce an Xbox Series S/X release date for Black Myth: Wukong.
However, in June, Microsoft hinted at possible deals between its partners and other platform holders in a statement. “We’re excited to launch Black Myth Wukong on Xbox Series X|S and are working with Game Science to bring the game to our platform,” Xbox Parents said at the time. “We can’t comment on the deals our partners have struck with other platform holders, but we remain committed to making Xbox the best platform for gamers, and great games are at the core of that.”
Last week, reports surfaced that the release of Black Myth: Wukong on Xbox was delayed due to “technical issues.” Recently, a gaming industry leaker cited Xbox insiders and developers as saying that the game has not hit Xbox this week because it has encountered a “memory leak” bug that may cause console crashes and performance issues. “Due to this issue, the game has not yet passed Xbox’s bug detection testing and is therefore being delayed indefinitely until they manage to optimize the game for Series X|S,” the leaker said in an X post on Monday.
Black Myth: Wukong is available on PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store) and PS5. Game Science confirmed that the game has surpassed 3 million concurrent players across all platforms.
