Microsoft says the delayed release of the Xbox version of Black Myth: Wukong is not down to the limitations of the Xbox Series S.
Black Myth: Wukong is one of the biggest gaming hits in years. It sold 10 million copies in its first three days, without even being released on Xbox consoles.
An Xbox version is planned but is yet to materialise. Some have speculated this is due to the need to accommodate the less powerful Xbox Series S console, but Microsoft’s latest statement appears to deny this.
“As we have said before, 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'd prefer not to comment on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders but we can confirm that the delay is not due to Xbox platform limitations that have been raised to us,” Microsoft said in a statement published by Forbes.
Why blame the Xbox Series S in the first place? It has been at the root of game delays in the past.
Baldur’s Gate 3, another epic hit, came to Xbox consoles in December 2023, four months after the PC version and three months after the PlayStation 5.
Larian Studios’ director of publishing, Michael Douse, explained the release lag was down to difficulties in implementing the game’s split-screen co-op multiplayer mode on the less powerful Xbox Series S.
Microsoft generally requires feature parity between Xbox Series S and Series X versions of games but relented in the case of Baldur’s Gate 3. The Series S version had its split-screen co-op feature excised, in a decision that was no doubt turbo-charged by the heat surrounding the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has gone on to sell an estimated 15-million-plus copies. However, its popularity is not in the same league as Black Myth: Wukong’s.
According to SteamDB figures, Baldur’s Gate 3 peaked at 875,343 concurrent players on gaming platform Steam, while Black Myth: Wukong broke records for a single-player title at 2.415 million players.
As explored by Digital Foundry, the PlayStation 5 struggles to run Black Myth: Wukong at a consistent frame rate. However, it also suggests an Xbox Series S version should be possible with sufficient graphics settings scaling.
