Next Console Generation May Start In 2028, Xbox Court Docs Say

The next console generation--including the PS6 and the new Xbox system--may start in 2028. This is according to court documents from the ongoing legal battle between Microsoft and the United States Federal Trade Commission regarding the massive $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition.

The document, as reviewed by IGN, lines up with a previous statement made by Sony in 2022, indicating that the next console generation won't start until at least 2027. As part of the legal battle, Microsoft made a statement concerning Call of Duty's presence on PlayStation platforms, which--should the deal go through--is meant to last until 2028, alongside the expected release window of the new consoles.

"This term would, in any case, go beyond the expected starting period of the next generation of consoles (in 2028),” reads a statement from Microsoft. "Thus, Call of Duty will be published on successor PlayStation consoles should one be released during the term of the agreement. The agreement also would ensure that Call of Duty console games are offered on PlayStation at parity with Xbox."

Sony previously stated that Call of Duty games would stop launching on PlayStation platforms in 2027, which is when it expects the next generation to begin. "Microsoft has offered to continue making Activision's games available on PlayStation only until 2027," Sony said last year. "By the time that SIE launched the next generation of its PlayStation console (which is likely to occur around REDACTED), it would have lost access to Call of Duty and other Activision titles."

The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles launched in 2020, while the PS4 and Xbox One both launched in 2013. If the next generation begins in 2028, this means the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles will have had an eight-year cycle, which is on par with previous generations.