I'll be honest: when Summer Game Fest 2024 rolled around, I did not expect to have Black Myth: Wukong on my brain for months afterward. But here I am in 2026, still thinking about that pre-order FAQ like it dropped yesterday. The headline was a real punch to the gut for Xbox fans: Game Science confirmed the Soulslike would finally arrive on 20th August 2024, but only for PlayStation 5 and PC. The Xbox Series X/S version was put on the back burner, and the studio made it clear it would not ship simultaneously with the other platforms. The announcement landed with a fresh trailer and opened the pre-order floodgates, so the hype was absolutely through the roof\u2014then this curveball came screaming in.
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The release date itself had already been teased at The Game Awards the previous year, so this Summer Game Fest blowout was less about "when" and more about "where." And as the FAQ made painfully clear, the answer was not "everywhere." PC and PS5 players could mark their calendars for 20th August 2024, while Xbox players were left in limbo.
What the FAQ actually told us
Game Science's wording was surprisingly direct:
"PC and PS5 users can enjoy the full game starting August 20, 2024. We are currently optimising the Xbox Series X/S version to meet our quality standards, so it won't release simultaneously with the other platforms. We apologise 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."
That type of transparency is rare, even if it was a tough pill to swallow. The studio didn't sugarcoat the situation; it flat-out said the Xbox build wasn't ready for prime time.
| Platform | Launch status as of that announcement |
|---|---|
| PS5 | Full game available 20 August 2024 |
| PC | Full game available 20 August 2024 |
| Xbox Series X/S | Delayed, date TBD after quality pass |
The FAQ also hinted at future DLC and "non-pay-to-win in-game purchases," which felt like a smart way to set expectations without letting the monetization conversation boil over. In 2026, I still appreciate that they didn't bury that detail in fine print.
The Xbox delay looked familiar
This wasn't exactly uncharted territory. Baldur's Gate 3 had already been delayed on Xbox because of split-screen co-op on the underpowered Series S, so when Game Science cited optimization, plenty of us read between the lines. The Series S is the little engine that could\u2014until it can't, apparently. Nobody said the word "parity clause" out loud, but the implication was hard to ignore. If the console family requires both Series X and Series S versions to play by the same rules, a demanding action game like Wukong might have run into a wall.
The disc-free physical edition was a proper curveball
As if the platform split wasn't enough, Game Science also confirmed that the physical version would ship without a physical disc. That one genuinely caught me off guard. The studio explained:
"It is the first time for Game Science to release a console game globally, and we are currently facing limitations in offline resources required for the import, export, transportation, distribution, and sales of physical discs. These factors have made it difficult for us to sell physical discs simultaneously with the official release of the game."
On one hand, I get it\u2014global distribution is no walk in the park for a studio stepping onto the world stage for the first time. On the other hand, buying a physical box and finding no disc inside is the kind of thing that makes collectors spit out their tea. Game Science did say its publishing team was actively working on options for physical discs down the line, so the door wasn't completely slammed shut.
I played it at Gamescom, and the combat hit different
Even with all the launch drama, my hands-on time at Gamescom left me seriously impressed. The combat had a weight, rhythm, and cinematic flair that gave FromSoftware a run for its money\u2014or should I say mon(k)ey. Between stance switching, transformation tricks, and boss encounters that felt like a fever dream, Black Myth: Wukong seemed like the real deal. That's why the Xbox delay stung even more. It's one thing to hear about a promising action game; it's another to feel it click in your hands and then realize a chunk of the audience has to wait.
Looking back from 2026
Time has a way of cooling hot takes, but I still think the whole situation was a masterclass in expectation management. Game Science didn't promise a date it couldn't hit for Xbox, and it owned the physical-disc limitation with unusual frankness. That quality-first stubbornness can be frustrating in the moment, but it beats a broken launch on a platform that wasn't ready. The ball was always in Game Science's court, and they chose to hold the Xbox version until it met their standards. In an industry full of rushed patches and day-one fixes, that's a stance I can respect\u2014even if it left Xbox players on the sidelines for a while.