Microsoft and Sony don’t plan to launch the next generation of consoles until 2028, according to new documents obtained in the acquisition process of Activision Blizzard.
Both companies discussed the possible prediction of the launch of video games last Wednesday (23) in the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation.
The Competition and Markets Authority has been concerned about the impacts of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard by US$ 68.7 billion (~R$ 365.4 billion)the tech industry’s biggest deal to date.
Among them would be the ability of PlayStation to compete if the Call of Duty franchise became exclusive to Xbox consoles. According to the UK regulatory body, this would have a significant impact on the launch of the next generation of video games.
Sony and Microsoft released their current generation consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, in November 2020. In response to inquiries from the Competition and Markets Authority, Microsoft said the next generation of consoles is a long way off and analyzing any impact of the Activision deal now would be purely speculation.
As we extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone, we are incredibly excited to welcome the fantastic teams and iconic franchises of Activision Blizzard to Team Xbox https://t.co/DVrgYS8ssB
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 18, 2022
The company continues and states that it believes that the next generation will only arrive from 2028.
However, Sony argues that there is a real chance for Microsoft to make the Call of Duty franchise exclusive to Xbox consoles, while its rival claims that it has no interest in this possibility.
Regardless, Microsoft offered an agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation until at least 2027. The company ends by saying that if it hypothetically wanted to make the franchise exclusive, Sony would have enough time to adapt its commercial strategy.
