Microsoft Expects The Arrival Of Next-Gen Consoles In 2028, Says Court Filings

The next-gen consoles are still half a decade away.

Story Highlights

  • Microsoft is expecting the arrival of the next generation of consoles in 2028, as stated explicitly in recent court filings in the defense against the FTC that have become public.
  • The current generation of consoles will end up being longer than the last generation, which is likely because of the increased game development lifecycles.
  • Mid-gen refresh for the consoles can be expected in the near future, and many rumors suggest a new variant of PlayStation to arrive later this year; nothing official has been announced.
  • Microsoft and FTC are in a court battle that has started recently, as FTC previously filed a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order to block the merger from going through.

The court proceedings between Microsoft and FTC have finally started, and new documents have also appeared publically that detail the case. While defending its massive Activision Blizzard deal, the renowned company has also revealed particulars about the next generation of consoles. IGN reviewed the documents and found that the next generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles is expected to arrive in 2028 after five years.

In the court documents that recently became public, Microsoft iterated about releasing the Call of Duty franchise on Sony’s PlayStation consoles for ten years if the deal is approved globally. While discussing the commitment, it also mentioned that the deal would surpass even the current generation of consoles.

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,” mentioned Microsoft in the court filings.

The Call of Duty games will continue to be available on both the Xbox and PlayStation consoles at the same time regardless of generation as long as it falls under the ten years commitment. The deal was offered by Microsoft to Sony in order to calm the resistance against the ginormous acquisition, but that appears to have failed to work so far.

The expected starting period” for the new gen beginning in 2028 means the current gen of consoles lasts a staggering eight years; it hints at the increasing generation lifecycle since it is almost a year more than the last generation. It makes sense because the game development life cycles have also steadily increased over the last decade, taking AAA entries upwards of four to five years to release at the minimum.

It is also possible we see a mid-gen hardware refresh of both console series in the near future. Many rumors have alluded to a PlayStation 5 Slim variant in the past, but no official announcements have been made.

Microsoft’s battle to acquire Activision Blizzard has been brewing over the last few months, with the recent saga pitting the renowned company against the Federal Trade Commission. FTC is trying to halt the merger from occurring, as it previously filed a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order to block the deal from going through. The trial has started now, and Xbox is toiling to defend the acquisition against FTC.

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Via
IGN
Source
US Court Documents

Shameer Sarfaraz is a Senior News Writer on eXputer who loves to keep up with the gaming and entertainment industries devoutly. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and several years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.

Experience: 4+ Years || Education: Bachelor in Computer Science.

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