PlayStation 6 And Next Xbox Could Launch In 2028, Microsoft Reveals At FTC Hearing – News18

The ongoing FTC hearings into Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard have revealed a number of key details that would not have been known without the FTC’s involvement in the alleged antitrust case.

One such document, which is being considered as evidence, reveals that Microsoft expects the next-generation PlayStation console—likely to be called the PlayStation 6, and the next mainline Xbox to launch in 2028—approximately five years from now, as reported by IGN.

It is likely that Microsoft is already working on the next-generation console, which is why they are able to discuss it in the document presented to the FTC. If history is any indication, both Microsoft and Sony have launched their home gaming consoles within the same window. 

The PlayStation 5 was released on November 12, 2020—two days after the Xbox Series X/S. The PlayStation 4 was released on November 15, 2013, followed by the Xbox One on November 22, 2013. As you can see, both companies aim to release their consoles during the holiday season, close to each other. Therefore, if Xbox is planning to release the next-generation Xbox Series console in 2028—it is possible that Sony will follow suit.

During the FTC hearing, Xbox chief Phil Spencer claimed that Xbox is in third place in the gaming console market—after Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo. He also alleged that Sony is aggressively trying to put Xbox out of business, as reported by The Verge.

It was also claimed that Xbox acquired Bethesda—the publisher of Starfield—after Sony attempted to secure an exclusivity deal for the game on the PlayStation 5.

In related news, in a separate lawsuit, an alleged internal Microsoft email, which is evidence in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court, suggests that one of the intentions behind Microsoft’s bid to acquire Activision-Blizzard is“ to put its main competition, the Sony PlayStation, out of the market.”