Unreal Engine 5 action roleplaying game Black Myth: Wukong is the first title to be officially delayed out of 2023 and into 2024. We can only hope the inevitable line of delays won’t be too impactful on this year’s schedule.
Anyway, a few hours ago, independent Chinese developer Game Science released a short film to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year festivity, showing a Summer 2024 release window at the very end.
Black Myth: Wukong was first unveiled in August 2020, when Game Science released a lengthy Pre-Alpha gameplay video that wowed the world with its stunning graphics and intense combat.
It is based on the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, arguably the most popular literary Asian work, which was published in the 16th century (during the reign of the Ming Dynasty) and attributed to Wu Cheng’en. Black Myth: Wukong isn’t the first game adaptation of Journey to the West, as Ninja Theory already attempted it with 2009’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
However, this game has been inspired by the recent Soulslike trend. Players will control the mythical character Sun Wukong, one of the central figures in the novel. Also known as the Monkey King, he will be referred to in the game as the Destined One. Previous videos have showcased his ability to transform into a giant monster to fight enemies or into a flying insect to explore the surroundings.
According to the official website, Game Science plans to sell Black Myth: Wukong for a one-time purchase. Post-launch DLCs and in-game purchases are potential later additions, though the developers promised never to sell in-game power for real money. The official website also mentions the producer’s penchant for co-op, hinting that it could be a feature.
The game will be released for PC and mainstream consoles (likely PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X), though cloud platforms are also being considered. On PC, Black Myth: Wukong will support ray traced effects and DLSS 3 thanks to a partnership with NVIDIA.
