Sony PS5 getting a major UI overhaul
On the other hand, Microsoft hopes to present an optimised version of the existing Xbox One dashboard when the Xbox Series X launches later this year. Photo: Sony

While both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S are still perfectly capable of meeting the requirements of current titles, gamers and tech enthusiasts are already looking forward to the release of the PS6 and Xbox's still unnamed next-gen console. Unfortunately, it appears that fans will have to wait a bit longer as both Sony's and Xbox's next-gen consoles won't be arriving until 2028.

The UK Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has been making inquiries among the major players in the gaming industry as part of its investigations in connection with Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The CMA has expressed concerns about the potential unfair advantage to Microsoft should the company decides to make future blockbuster titles such as "Call of Duty" exclusive to next-gen Xbox consoles, according to Gameshub.com.

"PlayStation currently has a larger share of the console gaming market than Xbox, but the CMA considers that Call of Duty is sufficiently important that losing access to it (or losing access on competitive terms) could significantly impact Sony's revenues and user base," the CMA said.

"This impact is likely to be felt especially at the launch of the next generation of consoles, where gamers make fresh decisions about which console to buy," the agency added. "The CMA believes that the Merger could, therefore, significantly weaken Microsoft's closest rival, to the detriment of overall competition in console gaming."

In response to the CMA's ongoing queries, Sony and Microsoft have disclosed their future plans for the PlayStation and Xbox and when to expect the launch of the next generation consoles. According to Microsoft, neither company will release a new console until 2028.

In addition, Microsoft has refuted some of the claims made by CMA. "The Parties do not dispute that some portion of gamers are likely to re-assess their console ownership at the start of a new generation. But they also note that this is an event that only occurs approximately every eight years," the company wrote.

"Indeed, the next new generation of consoles are not expected to be released before the fall of 2028 at the very earliest," Microsoft added. "The ongoing global shortage of semiconductors and supply chain disruptions have limited the supply of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S … If Sony were indeed worried about a hypothetical withholding of Activision content, it would have at the very least six years to prepare a competitive response in time for the launch of the next generation of console."

While Microsoft said that it would not make "Call of Duty" exclusive to Xbox consoles, Sony still expressed some concerns. While the new consoles are expected to arrive by 2028, the current Activision agreement to keep "Call of Duty" on PlayStation only lasts until 2027.

"Microsoft has offered to continue making Activision's games available on PlayStation only until 2027 … By the time SIE launched the next generation of its PlayStation console … 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," Sony said.