TECH NEWS – As part of Sony’s argument against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it refers to the “next generation PlayStation”, possibly the PS6.

Sony is referring to the “next generation PlayStation”, the PS6, as part of its latest argument against Activision’s acquisition of Blizzard, which is primarily focused on the Call of Duty IP. Many might consider it too early to be talking about PlayStation 6. After all, the PS5 is barely two years old. But the fact is that companies like Sony need to think long-term.

The British CMA recently published Sony’s argument against the acquisition, which, among many other points, argues that Microsoft would dominate the industry regarding first-person shooter games.

It was explained that Microsoft would be a one-stop shop for big FPS games, especially with Xbox Game Pass. They also pointed out that Battlefield can no longer compete with Call of Duty. Seemingly unmentioned is the acknowledgement of their own FPS and live service efforts (e.g. the acquisition of Bungie). And that should be mentioned anyway. These discussions have many interesting insights, but the mention of PS6 is perhaps one of the most striking.

Referring to Microsoft’s offer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles until 2027 (although Microsoft later said it would be happy to make a deal with PlayStation that would keep PlayStation happy, just not forever), Sony claims that it would lose Call of Duty by the time the next generation PlayStation console is released (leaving the release window silent) and its competitiveness in the field would be severely eroded. It is noteworthy that the context suggests that PlayStation 6 will arrive sometime after 2027. Perhaps we can expect it in 2028 or 2029.

It should be noted that, in general, the lifespan of a console is about seven years. However, many speculate that this current generation of consoles will last longer than that. This is due to the impact of the pandemic on the industry. It is also because this generation is ‘slower’ to release games that make the most of its hardware. For example, many people believe that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is the only true “next-gen” game to date.

Of course, while this argument is far-reaching, it can arguably be largely speculative.

Even a big company like Sony can’t make concrete plans until 2027 or beyond, even if it’s long-term thinking.

Of course, this is hardly the only argument Sony has against Microsoft’s acquisition of ABK. But Microsoft has some equally valid and equally self-serving statements. For now, fans are just waiting to see how this all plays out, and as a result, they may see a bit of public back and forth.

Source: Twitter

PS6 release date [redacted]. Some time after 2027, I guess?

From Sony's new filing to the UK's competition regulator, as it tries to block the Activision-Microsoft deal

(Bonus: Read to the end of the paragraph for Sony's brutal but true Battlefield take)https://t.co/vc3TKNe7gS pic.twitter.com/QZD0bD2Lxh

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) November 23, 2022