This just in: Black Myth: Wukong might actually be a PlayStation 5 exclusive title in disguise as a multiplatform release.
No, really. We’re not just trying to make a pun on how this year’s best-selling game so far has a lead character, Sun Wukong, who can shapeshift into anyone he pleases, including the many bosses that you encounter in the game.
Apparently, multiple sources, including Forbes’ Paul Tassi and IGN, have come across info that suggests that Sony and Game Science brokered a deal to make Black Myth: Wukong exclusive to the PS5.
Initially, the delay of Black Myth: Wukong on Xbox was due to technical issues. In an earlier statement, Game Science, the developer behind the title, confirmed that they were “currently optimizing the Xbox Series X|S version.”
This straightforward explanation suggested that the team needed additional time to meet Microsoft’s possibly higher standards. Meanwhile, contrary to the developer’s official stance, sources with alleged insider knowledge have come forward with different narratives.
These sources claim that the real reason for Black Myth: Wukong’s absence on Xbox is not due to technical limitations but rather a Sony exclusivity deal. Adding fuel to the fire, Microsoft’s own statement on the matter, saying that they “can’t coment on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders,” seemed to hint at the possibility of an exclusivity agreement.
This carefully worded response, which was released to Jez Corden, does lend weight to the possibility that there’s more to the story than mere optimization challenges.
Of course, while it’s easy to say that Sony benefited and will continue to reap even more rewards from this secret deal, its atypical approach does raise doubts. Unlike their typical strategy with exclusive or timed-exclusive titles, Sony hasn’t done much to market Black Myth: Wukong at all. The noticeable lack of marketing push or public celebration of the game’s console exclusivity just isn’t Sony’s style.
If an exclusivity deal is indeed in place, Sony would’ve done so much more to make it clear that they were the preferred platform for the game, especially as it neared its release and in the days after it came out.
Sony has a well-established history of featuring exclusives in promotional materials and events, often hosting a solo State of Play for bigger releases.
Further complicating matters are reports from technical analysis groups like Digital Foundry, which have highlighted optimization issues with the game across the PC and the PS5, making it more likely that Xbox’s parity requirement is to blame here.
While it’s always fun to theorize and conspire, the most logical explanation is still the technical issues born out of the game’s demanding visual fidelity and the challenges of optimizing for multiple platforms.
Game Science has remained relatively tight-lipped beyond their initial statement as the rest of the internet seems happy to take sides. Neither Sony nor Microsoft has addressed the rumors of an exclusivity agreement directly.
Ultimately, as Black Myth: Wukong continues to go bananas with its impressive sales figures and concurrent player counts on platforms like Steam, the question, “when will Black Myth: Wukong be on Xbox?” remains unanswered.
But, hey, at least more Final Fantasy games will be on Xbox going forward, right?
