Documents published as a part of the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard have revealed that both Microsoft and PlayStation are not anticipating the next generation of consoles [PlayStaion 6 and Xbox Series XXX] to release until 2028 or later.
In the documents, Sony argues “in public comments just on October 26, Microsoft said that it plans to offer Call of Duty on PlayStation only “as long as that makes sense. A period until 2027 – or some other (possibly shorter) time that Microsoft unilaterally determines “makes sense” to Microsoft – is badly inadequate.”
Sony says that “By the time SIE launched the next generation of its PlayStation console (which is likely to occur around [REDACTED]) it would have lost access to Call of Duty and other Activision titles, making it extremely vulnerable to consumer switching and subsequent degradation in its competitiveness.”
The document suggests that Sony is planning to launch the PlayStation 6 after 2027.
In its response to the CMA’s concerns, Microsoft said the next generation of consoles is many years away and claimed any impact from the Activision deal was highly speculative.
“The Parties [Microsoft and Activision] do not dispute that some portion of gamers are likely to re-assess their console ownership at the start of a new generation,” it was said.
Microsoft continued to say “the next new generation of consoles are not expected to be released before the fall of 2028 at the very earliest.”
Insider Gaming understands that Sony will have a new PlayStation 5 model releasing next year with a detachable disc drive, but have not yet heard of a PlayStation 5 Pro model that would suggest a new generation of consoles are a couple of years away.
For more from Insider Gaming, check out the news that Riot Games could be bringing Valorant to consoles in the near future.
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