PlayStation 6 release window hinted at in leaked Sony documents

The PlayStation 6 release window has surfaced thanks to official Sony documents, recently made public.

On average, since the release of the original PlayStation in 1994, Sony’s consoles tend to have a life cycle between 11 to 13 years. That’s at least from PS1 to PS3. Sony’s most recent consoles, the PS4 and PS5, are still ongoing from 2013 and 2020, respectively.

As reported by PlayStation Lifestyle, the documents in question stated that Sony intends to release the PS6 sometime after 2027. So, if the Sony documents are anything to go by, the PS5 could have a life cycle of at least seven years, which would give it the shortest lifespan of any generation of PlayStation console.

It may seem strange that an official document has been made public, especially when it reveals details regarding the release window of Sony’s next-generation console. The documents being made public are due to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in response to Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

On page 8 of the 22-page document, it is claimed by Sony that Microsoft had “offered to continue making Activision’s games available on PlayStation only until 2027.”

The document continues: “By the time 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, making it extremely vulnerable to consumer switching and subsequent degradation in its competitiveness.”

However, as mentioned in the article from PlayStation Lifestyle, the exact release year for the PS6 has been redacted from the document. Yet, when putting two and two together from the information provided, a post-2027 release window is suggested.

At first glance, it may be a little concerning when assuming the PlayStation 5 will come to an end in 2027. Thankfully, the arrival of the PS6 should not result in the instant demise of the PS5. After all, with every Sony console release, the previous generation always crosses over into the next with both generations co-existing.

In related news, it is rumoured that Naughty Dog is working on The Last of Us: Part 3 for the PlayStation 6.