The physical version of Goku will not come with a disc.

highlight

A physical copy of Black Myth: Wukong won’t include a disc, but will instead have a download voucher inside the box.
The developer pointed to limitations as to why the game won’t include a disc at launch, but didn’t rule out the possibility of including one in the future.
GameScience has been accused of fostering a sexist work environment in the past.

Anyone who was planning on buying a physical copy of Black Myth: Wukong when it launches in August might want to rethink that decision. Not because I think the game will be a dud — in fact, it looks like one of the more interesting new additions to the Souls-like subgenre — but because the physical version of the game won’t come with a disc at all.

Instead, physical copies will include a download voucher inside the box that players can redeem online to get the full game. This applies to both the standard “Deluxe Edition” and the recently announced “Collector’s Edition.” In other words, the physical version is just a fancy drink coaster.

I’m Chinese and black Myth: Goku doesn’t excite me that much

GameScience CEO Feng Zi’s comments about women and queer people have made me not want to play this game at all.

In an update shared online, developer Game Science shared the reasoning behind this decision as well as information about how physical copies will work. Commenting on the decision, Game Science said:

This is the first time GameScience has released a console game globally, and we currently face limitations in the offline resources required to import, export, transport, distribute and sell physical discs. These factors make it difficult for us to sell physical discs at the same time as the game’s official release.

Our publishing team is actively working to resolve these issues and is exploring options for providing you with physical discs.

This means that while there will be an option to purchase a real physical copy in the future, this will not be the case at launch. Instead, the following instructions will be provided to players via the game’s FAQ:

Both physical versions will come with an activation code for Black Myth: Wukong Digital Deluxe Edition (WeGame activation code for purchases on JD.com, Steam activation code for purchases overseas). After confirming your purchase, the activation code will be sent to you in advance by the customer service of our sales platform, so that you can play the physical version of Destined One when it launches on August 20th.

This practice was rarely seen in AAA titles.

What’s most interesting about this development is that this appears to be the first time a triple-A release, i.e. a full-price game, is simply a boxed code. Incidentally, Just Dance 2023 is also a boxed code, but it’s pretty niche and not on the level of Black Myth. This practice is more common with Nintendo Switch releases where the game is played from the cloud or doesn’t fit on a single cartridge. Other than that, this appears to be a first, aside from digital copies bundled with the console purchase or “Game of the Year” editions, where DLC often comes as a voucher.

A year ago, physical copies of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor made headlines when they included a “download required” disclaimer, but unfortunately, this is becoming more commonplace. The included disc only contained a portion of the game’s file size, and a download was required to complete the rest. This was a major blow for game preservation purposes, and it looks like Black Myth: Wukong will suffer the same fate, at least for the time being.

That being said, it’s impossible to talk about Black Myth: Wukong without mentioning that its studio, Game Science, has been accused of fostering a sexist work environment. The studio’s co-founder, Yang Qi, once wrote a lengthy sexist post about gaming, touching on biological differences between men and women. As far as we know, the studio has not responded to these accusations.