Xbox next-gen console release date leak leaves fans furious

The release window of Microsoft’s next Xbox console may have been unveiled by a Call of Duty leaker.

If you stopped by yesterday, you may already have seen the claim that Microsoft's next-gen Xbox could land next year.

Originally expected to launch in 2027 or 2028, the console could now potentially be released in 2026 due to a claim made by Call of Duty insider TheGhostofHope.

They took to social media to announce several details about 2026’s franchise release which is assumed to be Modern Warfare IV.

The title will supposedly have “traditional UI like the older games” with the “engine being overhauled to address MWII problems like ‘visual clutter’”.

It’s the added detail though that MWIV will supposedly have “no old gen support” and is being “developed on dev kits for the next Xbox” that’s got people talking.

Fable was recently delayed to 2026.

TheGhostofHope has proven to be a reliable source in the past, but this is a pretty surprising tidbit of news.

Xbox president Sarah Bond previously teased the company’s next console to have “the largest technical leap you've ever seen in a hardware generation".

Could it really land as soon as 2026?

Well, if true, I could understand Microsoft’s logic. Some may consider it ‘too soon’ but it’s about time Xbox stepped out from PlayStation’s shadow.

Here me out, I’m not trying to incite a console war, but both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S released within a month of one another.

And in both cases, PlayStation trumped Xbox in sales.

If Microsoft could deliver a new-gen experience several years ahead of PlayStation, that could be the money-spinning move the company has been seeking.

While I’m interested to see how such a launch could play out though, most Xbox fans are simply filled with anger.

“I feel like this generation hasn’t even gotten into full swing yet and we’re already talking about next gen,” declared Reddit user cageep.

“Really looking at The Elder Scrolls having skipped three console generations at this point,” added masohak.

“A generation so bad that console manufacturers just say f**k it and goes into the next one after six years while the one we're in doesn't even feel like it started,” commented Halil-Heyman.

Of course, it’s worth taking this rumour with a pinch of salt until Microsoft officially lays out its plan.