A partially redacted document related to the UK’s ongoing in-depth investigation of Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68bn has revealed that Sony only expects its next-generation console (Presumably the PlayStation 6) to arrive by 2027, or there about.
Ever since Microsoft announced their plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, there has been backlash from various parties. Sony has been heavily against the deal, fearing that games developed by Activision could become exclusive to Microsoft’s Xbox.
Their main concern appears to be the Call of Duty franchise, from which PlayStation has benefited from several exclusive deals with Activision in the past. In an effort to push the acquisition of Activision Blizzard through, Microsoft earlier this month offered Sony a deal which would see Call of Duty available on the PlayStation only until 2027.
In the document, Sony expresses its worry that the loss of COD in 2027 would make PlayStation “particularly vulnerable to consumer switching and the consequent erosion in its competitiveness” — most likely for the arrival of the next console generation.
These timelines are not totally unexpected though, both the PlayStation 3 and 4 had a 7-year lifecycle, and Xbox also follows this 7-year cycle. For now, we can assume the next-generation console from Microsoft will also be launched around the same time.
To add my 2 cents worth, I have been gaming on the PlayStation ever since the PS1 came out and I also happen to be a big fan of the Call of Duty franchise. I have no doubt that if the COD franchise becomes exclusive to Xbox, a significant number of PlayStation gamers would make the switch over to Microsoft’s next-generation console.