The Sony PlayStation 5 console is likely to be a permanent fixture in gamer’s living rooms for some time to come, with a new report suggesting that the Japanese firm is unlikely to launch a successor console before 2027.
The report comes from Eurogamer, which cites a document noting Sony’s observations regarding the Competition and Market Authority’s issues statement around rival firm Microsoft’s bid to acquire the gaming company Activision Blizzard. When that acquisition goes through, Microsoft will become the world’s third largest gaming company, and Sony is dead against it.
Sony’s objections to the acquisition are detailed in the document, and one of its arguments notes that the PS5 is likely to have a shelf life as long as its predecessor, the PS4.
One of the main reasons that Sony is so upset over Microsoft’s acquisition plans is that it expects to lose access to the popular Call of Duty franchise in 2027. Call of Duty is one of the most popular games in the world and is published by Activision Blizzard. So Microsoft’s Xbox stands to gain immensely from having exclusive access to future Call of Duty titles.
In the document, Sony explains that by the time it will have “launched the next generation of its PlayStation console… it would have lost access to Call of Duty and other Activision titles.” That is of course a big hint that suggests Sony isn’t planning on launching a PS6 console until at least 2027. Apparently, Sony was trying to keep this secret, as a likely launch date is mentioned in the document, but it has been redacted.
According to Sony, the loss of the Call of Duty franchise would leave the PS6 console vulnerable to the prospect of consumers switching to the Xbox instead, so as to be able to play that game. If that happens, the PS6 would suffer “subsequent degradation in its competitiveness,” Sony stated.
Despite Sony’s protests, Microsoft has continued to insist all along that if the acquisition of Activision Blizzard does go through, it will continue to license and support Call of Duty on the PlayStation. However, it should be noted that Microsoft is not compelled to stick to that promise.
A 2027 launch date for the PS6 does make sense. The PS5 launched in late 2020, exactly seven years after the launch of the PS4 in 2013. So that would mean a similar seven-year wait for the next successor console. Of course, Sony would likely continue to sell the PS5 even after that date, as it has done with the PS4.
The PS5 console was extremely hard to get during the first year because its launch coincided with the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent supply chain issues caused by that. Most of those issues have now been resolved, and it’s fairly easy to get your hands on a PS5 today.
