Xbox and PlayStation don’t expect to launch new consoles until at least 2028, documents reveal

videogameschronicle.com:

Microsoft and Sony don’t expect to launch next-gen consoles until 2028 at the earliest, newly published documents have suggested.

Both companies discussed potential launch timing for new consoles in statements published on Wednesday as part of UK regulator the Competition and Markets Authority’s ongoing investigation into Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The CMA has expressed concerns about the impact the $68.7 billion deal could have on PlayStation’s ability to compete given that the merger would see Microsoft gain ownership of the Call of Duty series.

“This impact is likely to be felt especially at the launch of the next generation of consoles, where gamers make fresh decisions about which console to buy,” according to the regulator.

Sony and Microsoft both launched their current-gen consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S respectively, in November 2020.

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 wrote. “But they also note that this is an event that only occurs approximately every eight years.

“I[n]need the next new generation of consoles are not expected to be released before the fall of 2028 at the very earliest.”

Sony is arguing that there’s a very real threat that Microsoft will make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive, while its rival claims it has little business incentive to do so.

Wherever the truth of the matter lies, Microsoft’s statement also confirms that it has made a contractual offer to Sony that would