The Xbox Series S’ 10 GB of RAM and developer Game Science’s current experience in optimization are apparently the reasons why Black Myth: Wukong has yet to be released on Microsoft’s current-generation systems and not any sort of console exclusivity agreement.
Speaking on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Game Science CEO and Game Director Feng Ji commented on the action role-playing game receiving multiple Steam Awards, including Game of the Year and Outstanding Story-Rich awards, saying that the only thing that is missing for the game is launching on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. While it feels wrong the game still isn’t out on the two Microsoft systems, the Black Myth: Wukong director added that with 10 GB of shared memory, without a few years of optimization experience, there’s nothing to be done about the matter.
Given how Black Myth: Wukong struggles to run well on the more powerful Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, requiring frame generation to hit acceptable performance in some scenarios, the game’s directors’ statements aren’t particularly surprising, although, on paper, the Xbox Series S hardware shouldn’t be challenged by the game. Hopefully, the Chinese studio will be able to improve their optimization capabilities quickly and finally release their game on Xbox consoles, as it’s definitely worth experiencing for the vast majority of players, as I highlighted in my review.
Black Myth: Wukong stands out as one of the strongest debut games released in recent times. While not groundbreaking in any way, it masterfully blends elements from several popular franchises to deliver an engaging action RPG experience that ranks just below the very best in the genre. Although stuttering issues and minor gameplay flaws hold it back slightly, these shouldn’t deter any action RPG or action game fan from picking it up. The Journey to the West has rarely been this enjoyable.