Microsoft expects that the next generation of video game consoles will likely come out in 2028, according to official court documents. This puts the release date of Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen consoles (possibly called the PS6 and whatever MS coins the next Xbox) around eight years after the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The court documents come from today’s hearing on Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard acquisition and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s injunction on the deal. In them, the “expected starting period” of next-gen consoles was in 2028.

Of course, this is just an “expected starting period,” and various factors could possibly result in next-gen consoles being released earlier or later, depending on the circumstances.

To give you an idea of how long eight years really is, here are all of Sony’s mainline PlayStation consoles and their release years since the original model in 1994:

• PlayStation – 1994
• PlayStation 2 – 2000
• PlayStation 3 – 2006
• PlayStation 4 – 2013
• PlayStation 5 – 2020

For comparison, here are the release years of Xbox consoles:

• Xbox – 2001
• Xbox 360 – 2005
• Xbox One – 2013
• Xbox Series X|S – 2020

With 2028 being the expected year for the next generation of consoles, it’ll have been the longest period between console generations for Sony, with the current longest period at around seven years between the PS3 and PS4. On the other hand, Microsoft will have tied its eight-year gap between the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One.

Speaking of next-gen consoles, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has recently said that if the Activision buyout closes, they will no longer share next-gen console details with the company.

Source: US Court Documents