Microsoft has admitted it expects next-gen consoles to arrive in 2028 according to recently released court documents. During the ongoing legal battle between Microsoft and the FTC regarding its potential acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, Microsoft stated quite plainly that the next generation of consoles is expected to be in 2028. A key arguing point throughout this ongoing attempted acquisition has been the Call of Duty franchise, with arguments going back-and-forth about its importance to PlayStation’s profits, as well as whether or not Microsoft would pull the rug out from under Sony by forcing the games to be exclusive to the Xbox line of consoles.
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In arguing this point, Microsoft has insisted repeatedly that they would allow the prolific shooter series to continue on other platforms, going so far as to sign an agreement with Nintendo to release the games for their consoles, despite Call of Duty being absent from Nintendo consoles since Ghosts released on the Wii U roughly ten years ago. Microsoft has stated that they have offered Sony a similar deal, but that they have refused to agree to it.
Regarding next-gen entries in the franchise, Microsoft stated “This term would in any case go beyond the expected starting period of the next generation of consoles (in 2028.) Thus, Call of Duty will be published on successor PlayStation consoles should one be released during the term of the agreement. The agreement also would ensure that Call of Duty console games are offered on PlayStation at parity with Xbox.”
This term would in any case go beyond the expected starting period of the next generation of consoles (in 2028.) Thus, Call of Duty will be published on successor PlayStation consoles should one be released during the term of the agreement. The agreement also would ensure that Call of Duty console games are offered on PlayStation at parity with Xbox.
Has The Battle for Next-Gen Dominance Already Begun?
Sony has previously argued that should the acquisition be allowed to go through, it would lose access to the prolific Call of Duty franchise by the time next-gen consoles arrive. Previously, Sony issued their own expected timeframe for new consoles, stating in a document released in November of last year that it believes it would lose access to the series by the time it launched its own next-gen console in at least 2027. This fits with Microsoft’s own estimate fairly well.
Even if the acquisition goes through and Microsoft signs a similar ten-year binding deal with Sony, however, it is still possible that they would have trouble releasing Call of Duty on a next-gen PlayStation. Despite Sony claiming to be worried about losing access to the series, Microsoft has offered the sign a deal ensuring it would not, but Sony has still recently stated that were the acquisition to go through, it would be unwilling to supply a Microsoft-owned Activision with the necessary dev kits to develop Call of Duty or other major titles for a PlayStation 6.
Some gamers may question the belief that there will be next-gen consoles within five years. Only recently have most major AAA releases begun to be fully exclusive to current generation hardware, a development which is also coinciding with an increase in prices across the industry, with new games seemingly shifting to a new $69.99 standard launch price, console prices rising in various regions, and even subscription cost increases, with GamePass set to increase in price next month.
Also read: Xbox Due to Raise the Price of the Xbox Series X/S to Chase PS5 Success
The timeline, however, does match up with recent generations of consoles, at least for Xbox. The Xbox 360 was originally released in 2005, a year ahead of the PlayStation 3. After that, the two companies began to release new hardware nearly in sync, with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launching less than two weeks apart seven years after the Xbox One in 2013, followed by the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles again launching mere days apart another seven years later in 2020. It stands to reason that the 2027 and 2028 estimates thrown out by Sony and Microsoft respectively would work out for next-gen consoles, given the timeline of the last two generations.
Whatever the release date winds up being, it seems clear that both Microsoft and Sony are already preparing themselves for a potentially highly competitive release for next-gen systems, despite them likely being nearly a half-decade away. In the present, though, Microsoft has a hard fight ahead to get the Activision acquisition approved.
How do you feel about the proposed timeline for next-gen consoles? Do you think it is too soon, or are you excited to see how technology will have improved in another five years? Let us know in the comments and on our social feeds!
Source: IGN
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