The FTC would also like to know more about "Microsoft's next generation gaming ecosystem"

gamesradar.com:

As part of its ongoing, lawsuit-adjacent investigation, the US Federal Trade Commission has called on Microsoft to explain its "next generation gaming ecosystem," which is a standout eyebrow-raiser in a sea of legal jargon. 

This comes from a new document request (technically a motion to compel) from the FTC which was released (opens in new tab) earlier this week. The FTC has submitted an order for Microsoft and Activision Blizzard to share information related to a few key points of the big Xbox Activision deal – one point apparently being Microsoft's vision for its entire gaming arm. 

Specifically, the FTC "requests documents related to [redacted], the code name for Microsoft’s next generation gaming ecosystem. [Redacted] is part of Microsoft’s forward-looking strategy for its console, subscription, and cloud gaming businesses – all markets in which Complaint Counsel alleges harm." 

Let's get a few things straight. Is the FTC asking about the Xbox Series X 2, for lack of a better name for the de facto NextBox? No. In fact, I can't even definitively say how much of "Microsoft’s next generation gaming ecosystem" refers to the platform we know today. After all, I don't know the FTC style guide ruling for new-gen versus next-gen. And Microsoft has been building an increasingly broad platform through Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming, to say nothing of about a million newly minted partnerships with streaming services. 

That said, the verbiage used here, not to mention the redacted code name, suggests this ecosystem is still in planning, or at least still evolving. And with the very nature of traditional console cycles still uncertain – Microsoft president Brad Smith recently remarked that "who knows" where gaming will be in a