Black Myth: Wukong Xbox Delay Due to Sony Exclusivity Deal, Not Tech Issues, According to Source [IGN]

The source denied that Black Myth: Wukong’s delay is due to a memory leak issue, which was circulated by Spanish leaker eXtas1s after what they said was a conversation with Xbox developers at Gamescom. Because of that, they claimed, Black Myth: Wukong had not been able to pass bug detection tests and was thus delayed indefinitely.

However, IGN understands that no tech issue that would delay Black Myth: Wukong has been reported to Xbox. Rather, the Xbox delay is the result of an exclusivity deal neither Game Science nor Sony have publicized, the source said. The source described the rumors of tech issues on Xbox as “inaccurate.”

IGN has reached out to both Game Science and Sony for comment on these reports.

The new information follows a series of confusing rumors and contradictary statement stretching back to June. Observers first noted the delay when Xbox Series X|S vanished from the Black Myth: Wukong trailer shown during Summer Game Fest. In its FAQ, Game Science said that it was still optimizing the Xbox version.

“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,” Game Science’s FAQ read.

Microsoft released its own statement on June 21, saying, “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 can’t comment on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders, but we remain focused on making Xbox the best platform for gamers, and great games are at the center of that.”

Black Myth: Wukong is a technical monster

The rumors of a tech issue were fueled in part by Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox saga in 2023, which saw the Xbox version delayed until December due to difficulties optimizing for Xbox Series S. Larian was eventually forced to remove split-screen co-op from the Xbox Series S version in order to get Baldur’s Gate 3 to Microsoft’s platform.

The rumors were given further credence by the fact that Black Myth: Wukong is a technical monster, with our review noting that its fidelity was enough to even make a top-end rig with an RTX 4090 sweat. Game Science has apologized for any tech problems players encountered, and today released a 1.6 GB patch with various fixes and adjustments.

One way or another, Black Myth: Wukong is doing just fine, pushing Steam to an incredible 37 million concurrent players for the first time earlier this week. It also managed to sell more than 10 million copies in the span of three days after release.

It’s currently unclear when the Xbox version of Black Myth: Wukong will eventually be released. For more, check out our Black Myth: Wukong walkthrough, as well as our boss guides, and more.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.