Microsoft may have pencilled in 2028 for the next-generation Xbox console, according to the internal chat logs that surfaced as part of a recent court case.
The logs were revealed as part of the United States Federal Trade Commission’s ultimately failed attempts to block Microsoft’s takeover of the publisher Activision Blizzard.
As recently as May 2022, Axios reports, key Microsoft executives including gaming head Phil Spencer and CEO Satay Nadella were involved in discussions over the next-generation Xbox. With references to ‘gen 10’ – the anticipated next generation of gaming machines – the date 2028 was floated.
Anuj Gosali, who is a VP of immersive experiences, asked in particular whether Microsoft will continue to provide console developers with fixture hardware standards.
“One of the things consoles have been really great at is giving a very clear platform target for developers, and [Game Development Kit] has been really good at this,” he wrote in the chat. “Is the plan for 2028 to keep that [illegible] like model or force a Windows like flexible/capabilities like model?”
The answer, from Kevin Gammill, a VP of gaming ecosystems replied: “We have already started this journey with Xbox One and Xbox One X, furthering it in Series S | X,”
“We need to be even more flexible going forward with gen 10, but also provide the ability for creators to take advantage of unique hardware capabilities.”
If Microsoft were to go with 2028 for the next-generation Xbox, it would give the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles another five years at the top of the tree, and eight years overall.
Of course, it’s plausible Microsoft will, and already have altered those plans, given the comments referenced in the Axios report were made well over a year ago.
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