TECH NEWS – Microsoft may have accidentally confirmed that its PS6 rival and Xbox X/S series successor is in the works – and even has a code name!

The next-generation Xbox console, intended to be the successor to the Xbox Series X/S, is already in the works and has a code name, according to a review of official announcements that have just surfaced. The document confirming that a PS6 rival is already in the pipeline comes from the ongoing Microsoft lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which sued Activision Blizzard over its planned acquisition in December 2022, citing antitrust grounds.

As arguably the deal’s biggest private opponent, Sony has become heavily involved in the FTC lawsuit, which is currently in the discovery phase in preparation for trial.

In a new episode of prematurely disclosed information, the FTC has apparently confirmed that a next-generation Xbox console is in the works. Indeed, the March 14 motion signed by lawyers seeks to compel Microsoft to produce documentation for its tenth-generation gaming system, even mentioning it by code name. The provisional nickname was redacted from the copy of the submission that was placed on the public register. But it appears that the internal name is about 15 characters long. Given that the average English word length is under five characters, the code name for the next-generation Xbox system will presumably contain at least two words.

For comparison, the Xbox Series X and Series S are codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart, respectively. The company has also named the entire ninth-generation Xbox family Project Scarlett. Before that, the Xbox One was known internally as Project Durango, while the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox were called Project Natal and Midway, respectively.

The reason why the FTC is even interested in learning about Microsoft’s next-generation hardware designs goes to the heart of the lawsuit, which seeks to prove that if the company is allowed to acquire Activision Blizzard, it would likely lead to antitrust problems in the future.

Microsoft has already handed over some documents to FTC lawyers. These outline the strategic business objectives of its games division. However, the lawyers who filed the complaint are not satisfied with the scope of the documents provided. They are now trying to compel the company to make more transparent disclosures before the trial. As for the likely outcome of the proceedings, many industry observers have predicted since February that Microsoft will likely complete its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. They argue that the FTC’s opposition to the $69 billion deal has a little legal basis.

Source: FTC