The current generation game consoles of Microsoft and Sony were launched in 2020, and Sony’s PS5 sales far exceeded that of Microsoft’s Xbox. Therefore, Microsoft is trying to pursue a leading position in game services, such as Xbox Game Pass.
A document made public in a lawsuit with the FTC confirms that Microsoft executives expect to launch the next generation of Xbox consoles in 2028 and are considering a more flexible strategy for its gaming hardware.
According to the document, Xbox executives mentioned the 2028 release plan at a meeting in May 2022 that was attended by more than ten Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella ), CFO Amy Hood and game director Phil Spencer, among others.
Image source Pixabay
In a brief exchange, a non-Xbox executive asked the gaming team whether the next Xbox would deviate from the traditional model of “fixed hardware standards” that all game makers develop for.
“One of the things consoles do best is give developers a very clear platform to target, and the [Game Development Kit] has been doing a great job of doing that,” said Anuj Gosalia, corporate vice president of immersive experiences. “2028 Is the plan to keep that [unintelligible] model, or to force a flexible/capable model like Windows?”
Kevin Gammill, Vice President of Gaming Ecosystems, responded, “We started down this path with Xbox One and Xbox One X, and we’re taking it further with Series S | Refers to Microsoft’s experiments with Xbox with different capabilities in recent generations of consoles.
“In the 10th generation, we need to be more flexible while also providing creators with the ability to take advantage of unique hardware capabilities.”
Image source Pexels
Of course, they may not have imagined at the time that information casually mentioned in a chat would be made public, which is consistent with recent expectations from Microsoft lawyers that the next generation of game consoles will kick off in 2028.
In fact, on the first day of court proceedings between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft admitted that “Xbox has lost the console war, and competitors are expected to continue to dominate the market.”
It is noticed that despite the many efforts made by Microsoft’s Xbox business, the sales volume of Xbox consoles still has a “significant gap” with Sony and Nintendo’s products, always ranking third.
▲ Comparison of hardware sales in the game market in 2021, source VGchartz
▲ Comparison of hardware sales in the game market in 2021, source VGchartz
Microsoft said that in 2021, Xbox’s global market share was just 16%. For now, Microsoft can only bet on a different strategy and make profits by selling games and accessories.
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