Microsoft believes the next generation of game consoles should be available in 2028, court documents in the FTC’s ongoing trial over the Xbox parent’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard have revealed. The documents, as reviewed by IGN, detailed that the next Xbox and PlayStation 6 will likely come out eight years after the current ones released in 2020. The timeline matches Sony’s 2022 statement, which alluded to the next generation of consoles. it won’t be here until 2027. The dates are important, considering Microsoft is trying to convince the court that it’s willing to compromise on making Activision’s biggest franchise, Call of Duty, available at parity on PlayStation consoles for a duration of 10 years.
“This term would, in any event, go beyond the expected start period of the next generation of consoles (in 2028),” Microsoft said in the documents (via IGN). “Therefore, Call of Duty will be released on successor PlayStation consoles should one be released during the term of the agreement. The deal would also ensure that Call of Duty console games are offered on PlayStation at parity with Xbox.” This contradicts Sony’s claim that november last year, where he claimed that Microsoft only plans to offer Activision games on PlayStation until 2027. As it happens, the green team had sent a draft of the 10-year agreement to Sony, but the latter has refused to respond to that offer. That length would also exceed the 2028 release window, allowing Call of Duty to flourish on Sony’s next-gen consoles. The US FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requested to temporarily block Microsoft and Activision Blizzard from closing their $69 billion (around Rs. 5,65,921 crore) deal until the domestic court of the agency decides whether the agreement harms competition in the video game industry. .
Furthermore, Microsoft has now admitted that it has been losing the ‘console war’ since 2001, that is, since the first generation of Xbox was released. To the uninitiated, the ‘console wars’ refer to the fight between the biggest manufacturers of video game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo) for market dominance, in an attempt to outsell the others. “Xbox has lost the console war and its rivals are positioned to continue to dominate, even by taking advantage of exclusive content,” Microsoft said in the documents. “The Xbox console has consistently ranked third (out of three) behind PlayStation and Nintendo in sales.” according to VGChartzXbox Series S/X consoles have sold 21.3 million units since launch, while PS5 and Nintendo Switch have sold around 36 million units in that period, through April 2023. However, Nintendo takes the lead by a slight margin, with 36.2 million. sold units.
TO kotaku report he notes that Microsoft has now given up on competing in the current console wars and will instead focus on delivering quality software. This could be through gaming or even its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which the company continues to push at every chance it gets. The document goes on to emphasize that Xbox does not make a profit through console sales, selling the systems at a loss in the hope of making up for lost revenue through “sales of games and accessories.” The company recently increased the prices of its flagship Xbox Series X console in certain regions and the Game Pass subscription worldwide.
In related news, the court hearing also revealed that Bethesda Indiana Jones The game, which was originally planned as a cross-platform release, would now be exclusive to Xbox and PC only. The project was announced in 2021, just a few months after Microsoft acquired parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion (about Rs 61,532 crore). During the court hearing, Bethesda publishing chief Pete Hines revealed that ZeniMax’s original deal with Disney would have put the Indiana Jones I play on various consoles. However, when Microsoft acquired the former, Disney had “questions” regarding the exclusivity of the console. Minor changes were then made to the contract, making Indiana Jones an Xbox exclusive. Even Arkane’s red drop It was originally set to release on PS5 as well, but plans for the same were scrapped following the Bethesda acquisition.
