With the PS5 set to be released this week, most of the games coming at launch will also be available on the PS4. For those wondering how long this transition from current-gen to next-gen will last, Sony has mentioned it’s going to be about three years.

This was revealed by Sony Interactive Entertainment Vice President Hideaki Nishino in an interview with Japanese site AV Watch.

Nishino: In terms of compatibility, it is important to move PS4 titles on PS5, but I have insisted that forward compatibility (supplying the same titles as PS5 to PS4) is important.

The current assumption is that the transition from PS4 to PS5 will take about three years. In the meantime, how can I keep buying games on PS4? Can the purchased games be played on PS5? That is important.

At a certain time, we ask developers to develop on the premise of “cross generation” of PS4 and PS5. Of course, we also need to improve the library to make it easier.

In the same interview, Nishino talked about how the games being developed for both the PS4 and PS5 can be affected by the next-gen console’s more powerful hardware, and it’s not just about prettier visuals.

Nishino: In the discussion with Mark (Cerny), there was a story that “the game will change when the corridor disappears.” A “corridor” that moves between maps is often provided for loading the game, but if it loads faster, you don’t have to bother to create a “corridor” on the map.

Nishino: I see … On the other hand, I also thought, “Then, if there are more ways to make it, what will happen to the existing PS4?” It was argued that “there is a good point”.

In fact, it may not be easy to develop PS5-specific development from Day 1. For the time being, development for PS4 is also necessary.

It’s not a PlayStation unless you prepare a system that developers can use up over several years, so I think there is great potential in the future.