Black Myth: Wukong's Absence from Xbox Not Due to Platform Limitations

[Chidubem]

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the delay of Black Myth Wukong on Xbox is not due to the platform's technological limitations but something else entirely. Black Myth: Wukong is a widely known game, reaching a large amount of sales within few months after launch. This well known Black Myth: Wukong, is available for PC and PlayStation 5 players, however one direct competitor is missing. Microsoft's representatives reiterate that Black Myth: Wukong would launch on Xbox soon, but the delay is not due to technological limitations but a case of timed exclusivity by a direct rival, Sony PlayStation.

This claim by the Microsoft representative may be true, after all, before the current generations, Microsoft boasted that their Xbox Series X would be the most powerful household console till date, that surpasses the performance of direct rivals. So that alone may clear the doubts about delay of the game due to platform limitations. Another reason to believe it is because, this isn't the first time we've heard that Sony signed a timed exclusivity contract with devs of a highly potential game title. To avoid competition with direct competitors and just watch the show from the front seat, it's possible that Sony may have done the same again. But then again, it could also be that the developers found out about the technological gaps between the two platforms and decided to hold back the game for a few optimizations before launch. And what the representatives are saying, is just a way to divert the attention from the platform's limitations.



We can't say for sure that what the representatives are saying is true, but on the official website of Black Myth Wukong, they say they're currently optimizing the Xbox X|S series to meet their quality standards. While this may mean that the platform is facing a few technological limitations and must be optimized to meet the game's standards, we can't just conclude.

But from third perspective, it may still be a case of timed exclusivity by Sony, and Black Myth Wukong is just giving unrealistic reasons for the delay. Microsoft representatives say that the Xbox console is more that capable of running Black Myth Wukong, and with that, we could say that the platform would definitely not need any optimizations. What are your thoughts on the delay of Black Myth: Wukong on Xbox? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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[ViperXZ]

Could be both an exclusivity deal or more time needed to translate it to Xbox, but honestly I don’t think it’s the latter. Xbox is strictly related to PC and the game is already on PC, so wouldn’t be much work to bring it on Xbox as well, so it’s probably just the Sony exclusivity deal. Xbox is falling behind again.

 

[Vayra86]

Good riddance, anything to curb MS's online focused strategy. Go Sony

 

[Neo_Morpheus]

I hate defending a company like M$, but it looks like they just can offer money to developers for exclusivity or similar BS like Sony does because they are always under the scrutiny of the DOJ.

Personally, I hate exclusives but unless something changes, then M$ should go for broke with these developers.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Everyone just keeps insisting its NOT because they cant get it to run on the series S when it struggles on the more powerful PS5. No, its gotta be the mythical exclusivity contracts that nobody has actually seen and are not confirmed to exist. Or its a "memory leak" (that doesnt exist on other platforms for some reason...).

Excuses excuses. Does anyone actually believe this gaslighting?

 

[Dredi]

@Chidubem In the article you write: "a case of timed exclusivity by a direct rival, Sony PlayStation."

This has not been "confirmed" by anyone, much less Microsoft. It only states that it is, allegedly, not due to platform limitations. That is all. For all we know it could be just prioritisation by the developer to focus on bug fixes and not the series S flop.

I'd change the wording, as what you wrote has no basis on what anyone has in any official capacity said, and is pure speculation.

 

[Chidubem]

@Chidubem In the article you write: "a case of timed exclusivity by a direct rival, Sony PlayStation."

This has not been "confirmed" by anyone, much less Microsoft. It only states that it is, allegedly, not due to platform limitations. That is all. For all we know it could be just prioritisation by the developer to focus on bug fixes and not the series S flop.

I'd change the wording, as what you wrote has no basis on what anyone has in any official capacity said, and is pure speculation.

It's only speculation and we can't make any conclusions, that's what I'm trying to convey in the article. It could be a timed exclusivity case, and maybe Sony refused to say a word, but it could also be they're trying to divert attention by saying it's not die to platform limitations, either way, we can only wait and see what would unfold next.

 

[Chane]

Why is this article implying Sony has an exclusivity contact, they don't. The Black Myth official website says the reason for the delay in their FAQ section.

https://heishenhua.com/news/detail?id=11

• On which platforms can I play Black Myth: Wukong?

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 won't release simultaneously with the other platforms. We apologize for the delay and aim to minimize the wait for Xbox users. We will announce the release date as soon as it meets our quality standards.

 

[Chidubem]

Why is this article implying Sony has an exclusivity contact, they don't. The Black Myth official website says the reason for the delay in their FAQ section.

https://heishenhua.com/news/detail?id=11

• On which platforms can I play Black Myth: Wukong?

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 won't release simultaneously with the other platforms. We apologize for the delay and aim to minimize the wait for Xbox users. We will announce the release date as soon as it meets our quality standards.

Thanks for the info, would update the article soon.

 

[colossusrageblack]

Why is this article implying Sony has an exclusivity contact, they don't. The Black Myth official website says the reason for the delay in their FAQ section.

https://heishenhua.com/news/detail?id=11

• On which platforms can I play Black Myth: Wukong?

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 won't release simultaneously with the other platforms. We apologize for the delay and aim to minimize the wait for Xbox users. We will announce the release date as soon as it meets our quality standards.

The claim that a delay isn't due to hardware limitations can be both accurate and factual, while also acknowledging that the game isn't meeting quality standards. These two things aren't mutually exclusive. A game can underperform without being held back by hardware. Take Nvidia cards running Starfield at launch, for example—after a patch, performance improved by nearly 20% in some cases.

 

[Neo_Morpheus]

Why is this article implying Sony has an exclusivity contact, they don't. The Black Myth official website says the reason for the delay in their FAQ section.

https://heishenhua.com/news/detail?id=11

• On which platforms can I play Black Myth: Wukong?

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 won't release simultaneously with the other platforms. We apologize for the delay and aim to minimize the wait for Xbox users. We will announce the release date as soon as it meets our quality standards.

Simple, that “excuse” doesnt hold weight.

Either delay for everyone or release on PC first, then consoles.

 

[redeye]

The claim that a delay isn't due to hardware limitations can be both accurate and factual, while also acknowledging that the game isn't meeting quality standards. These two things aren't mutually exclusive. A game can underperform without being held back by hardware. Take Nvidia cards running Starfield at launch, for example—after a patch, performance improved by nearly 20% in some cases.

also, Game science might find it s a boondoggle to support Xbox, when not enough people will buy it to justify the effort… but they do it with the money earned for the the PS5, sucks, but that is the “lure of the US” market.

will see if the number of units of the game sold for XBOX equals that of the PS5… my guess is it won’t approach 20% of PS5 games sales…

the talk about Black Myth : wukong disappeared when people (US) found out the popularity of Black Myth : Wukong was all china based… (having bought, and not refunded it, on steam the use of furry characters in the game is IMO genius, and might be why it is popular…)

 

[Vayra86]

Simple, that “excuse” doesnt hold weight.

Either delay for everyone or release on PC first, then consoles.

There's absolutely no reason for a developer to do this other than fan service.

They just want to release their game, and staggered or big bang isn't a big impact from a sales point of view, IF the game is good/well received. And it is.

the talk about Black Myth : wukong disappeared when people (US) found out the popularity of Black Myth : Wukong was all china based… (having bought, and not refunded it, on steam the use of furry characters in the game is IMO genius, and might be why it is popular…)

Yeah its strange though because this is easily on the level of a release like Dark Souls or God of War. Its polished, its fresh, well directed and looks and plays great. Enough reason to share the enthusiasm..

 

[Neo_Morpheus]

There's absolutely no reason for a developer to do this other than fan service.

Not really, because if your only platform is not supported at launch, those customers would care about after, if its ever released.

I had a xbox and now solely on PC and I lost almost all interest in the exclusives Sony games, like SpideMan due to the late releases.

 

[Dredi]

It's only speculation and we can't make any conclusions, that's what I'm trying to convey in the article. It could be a timed exclusivity case, and maybe Sony refused to say a word, but it could also be they're trying to divert attention by saying it's not die to platform limitations, either way, we can only wait and see what would unfold next.

Then why have you written it as a fact:
"Microsoft's representatives reiterate that Black Myth: Wukong would launch on Xbox soon, but the delay is not due to technological limitations but a case of timed exclusivity by a direct rival, Sony PlayStation."

Microsoft's rep has not stated such things. What you have written is factually incorrect. What they have stated as a fact is that there are no technical limitations at play.

 

[kapone32]

I really do not understand why people think that Sony made Games must be released on Xbox at the same time when the same is not true for Xbox.

 

[DrewTree]

Could be both an exclusivity deal or more time needed to translate it to Xbox, but honestly I don’t think it’s the latter. Xbox is strictly related to PC and the game is already on PC, so wouldn’t be much work to bring it on Xbox as well, so it’s probably just the Sony exclusivity deal. Xbox is falling behind again.

I play Xbox and am a PC gamer, but Xbox messed up. Both (PS5&XBX) have 16 GB GDDR6 right. Well
PS5 16 GB 256-bit bus/Memory Bandwidth of 448 GB/sec
XBX 16 GB 320-bit bus/Memory Bandwidth of well get this, 10 GB at 560 GB/sec THEN 6 GB at 336 GB/sec!!!
So even though it is the same AMD silicone by Xbox doing this can cause issues with a game a high quality as Black Myth. On my PC I run a 6950 XT and depending how I run the settings I can easily go over 10 GB of Vram.
I understand there are differences, duh. But depending on how Vram the PS5 uses in Black Myth and say it uses 10 OR more, guess what the Xbox can have a possible issue with running it at the same quality as the PS5. Again there are other things that can change things in a good way, like the XBX has a higher clock speed, a higher bandwidth, more compute units, which in all honesty still wont help if it takes more than 10 GB of Vram to run the game. Run it at 1080, you might get away with it, but 1440, it's cutting it close and IDK anyone with an X running it on a 1080 monitor but hey, ya never know. Xbox really screwed us. Should of just put 10 Gb of Vram and call it a day cause that's pretty much what you got. Drew from BeanieBro's.

 

[Dredi]

I play Xbox and am a PC gamer, but Xbox messed up. Both (PS5&XBX) have 16 GB GDDR6 right. Well
PS5 16 GB 256-bit bus/Memory Bandwidth of 448 GB/sec
XBX 16 GB 320-bit bus/Memory Bandwidth of well get this, 10 GB at 560 GB/sec THEN 6 GB at 336 GB/sec!!!
So even though it is the same AMD silicone by Xbox doing this can cause issues with a game a high quality as Black Myth. On my PC I run a 6950 XT and depending how I run the settings I can easily go over 10 GB of Vram.
I understand there are differences, duh. But depending on how Vram the PS5 uses in Black Myth and say it uses 10 OR more, guess what the Xbox can have a possible issue with running it at the same quality as the PS5. Again there are other things that can change things in a good way, like the XBX has a higher clock speed, a higher bandwidth, more compute units, which in all honesty still wont help if it takes more than 10 GB of Vram to run the game. Run it at 1080, you might get away with it, but 1440, it's cutting it close and IDK anyone with an X running it on a 1080 monitor but hey, ya never know. Xbox really screwed us. Should of just put 10 Gb of Vram and call it a day cause that's pretty much what you got. Drew from BeanieBro's.

The real problem is trying to get it running on series S. 8GB of usable RAM. Considering that most series consoles are of the S variety, I’d be very hesitant to launch the game on xbox consoles.

 

[DrewTree]

I understand. The only reason I hold on to it is because GTA6 will be on it before PC but after this I am really doubting it. I tried to post something similar to Reddit and got straight blocked on any page that pertains to these problems and it's ridiculous. Reddit is the worse place to express or speak fact, let people know what's going on and they block anything you say. The biggest problem is the different speed rates on these VRAM modules is, you can't just send an update and bam it's fixed. This shit is permanent. No Fix. Is Microsoft going to request we send it back and they gone to put different Vram in the damn thing. NOPE. Now, I can't prove this is why Wukong is not coming but I'm pretty versed in this tech and that sh*t ain't right.

 

[chrcoluk]

If they cant get it run on the S they need better devs.

All it has to be done is scaled down,

Lower resolution.
Reduced draw distance.
Less or no RT.
Less shadows/fog effects.
If VRAM limitations, reduced size textures and rewrite of asset streaming system.

The S has the same i/o and CPU performance as the X, graphics are easy to be scaled down.

Of course modern engines do seem to be trash making it harder for stuff to work on lower end kit.

 

[Dredi]

If they cant get it run on the S they need better devs.

All it has to be done is scaled down,

Lower resolution.
Reduced draw distance.
Less or no RT.
Less shadows/fog effects.
If VRAM limitations, reduced size textures and rewrite of asset streaming system.

The S has the same i/o and CPU performance as the X, graphics are easy to be scaled down.

Of course modern engines do seem to be trash making it harder for stuff to work on lower end kit.

Maybe they don’t want to release something that looks like this, and still call it the same game:

Also, the amount of work needed can be large, depending on how everything in the game has been built to scale in the first place.

Dvd resolution output, combined with (very) low res textures would probably work. UE5 does however rely a lot on having high res models, so those would probably need to be pre-baked to low res versions as well. I don’t think that the studio has resources to re-write the asset streaming system of UE5.

 

[chrcoluk]

Maybe they don’t want to release something that looks like this, and still call it the same game:
View attachment 368308
Also, the amount of work needed can be large, depending on how everything in the game has been built to scale in the first place.

Dvd resolution output, combined with (very) low res textures would probably work. UE5 does however rely a lot on having high res models, so those would probably need to be pre-baked to low res versions as well. I don’t think that the studio has resources to re-write the asset streaming system of UE5.

We need UE5 to die, would love for devs to start writing their own engines or not using one at all, just code it all yourself.

Essentially we are at a throw hardware at it to hide engine deficiencies.

 

[Dredi]

We need UE5 to die, would love for devs to start writing their own engines or not using one at all, just code it all yourself.

Essentially we are at a throw hardware at it to hide engine deficiencies.

A project like wukong would take a decade or more to make, instead of the couple of years it took. It would be difficult to get funding for most games if existing engines were off the menu.

Maybe lead by example and make an engine?

 

[chrcoluk]

A project like wukong would take a decade or more to make, instead of the couple of years it took. It would be difficult to get funding for most games if existing engines were off the menu.

Maybe lead by example and make an engine?

If I did and it was made into another engine for every game, it would have similar issues as it would be bloated to cater for all games.

Another option is to use older engines, but something is attracting devs to UE5/UE4 like a magnet.

 

[Dredi]

Another option is to use older engines, but something is attracting devs to UE5/UE4 like a magnet.

UE5 is superior to anything when it comes to asset handling in the game development process, making producing games a lot cheaper and less complicated than ever before. The only real problem with it is slightly larger VRAM requirements compared to other engines.

As for UE4, it is a very old engine at this point, 10 years. UE3 was a dx9 engine and 20 years old. Other old engines would be then unity, maybe? Or cry engine? I’m not sure if idtech is a licensable thing or not.

Making an engine from scratch is very expensive endeavour. What you are essentially asking for is games to be twice as expensive than before. In return you MIGHT get sligtly lower vram reqs or higher fps, depending on the quality of engine that was deemend ”good enough” by the very same people who deem ue5 good enough now.

ps. there are a lot of games made with these ”old engines” you like so much. Maybe play those for ten years or so and then play the current ue5 games when they work ”well enough” with modern hardware.