The PS5 Pro hasn’t even been on sale for four months, and we’re already looking forward to when its successor, the PS6, might arrive. According to one newly-departed Sony executive, Sony may be aiming to release the console in 2028 — or eight years after the original PS5.
This snippet doesn’t come from just any former-employee, though. This prediction comes from Shuhei Yoshida, a 38-year Sony veteran, 31 years of which were spent at PlayStation — working on the brand more or less since its inception. Yoshida would also spend over a decade as President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide — and eventually left the company last month.
Prepare to wait a little bit longer than normal
GamesBeat spoke to Yoshida at the Dice Summit in Las Vegas, and the PS6 was one of the many topics they discussed. Yoshida made it very clear that he didn’t have any information about the next PlayStation console, but admitted that a 2027 release “feels a bit too early for me to say”.
Despite the fact the previous console cycle was seven years long, Yoshida notes that the current generation “was slowed down” thanks to the PS5’s manufacturing issues in the months following its release. With that in mind, and all the difficulties people had getting hold of PS5 consoles during the pandemic, it makes sense that Sony might extend the lifespan of the console.
Yohsida said that, “If the next PlayStation comes out in 2028, that feels right to me. “ He also noted that leaks suggest Microsoft may be releasing a new console that same year. Hopefully that means the new consoles will arrive in close succession, and means developers can start releasing more advanced games for both consoles (and PC) around the same time.
If the next PlayStation comes out in 2028, that feels right to me.
Shuhei Yoshida
Yoshida also pointed out that COVID has had a negative impact on the games industry, and the lengthy periods between major hardware releases. Noting that the general slowdown in the games industry is “an overreaction to the COVID situation” also adding that, “Companies invested too much, including ourselves. Then we had to face reality and make adjustments. If you take out the COVID years you’d have smoother growth over the years.”
Things could still change
Yoshida is no longer at Sony, and spent the last six years of his time there heading up PlayStation Indies, so it’s not like he was deeply involved with the development of the PS6. And while there’s no guarantee that his prediction will prove accurate, given his extensive experience working at PlayStation, I feel he'll have a good idea of how things run at the company.
So there may well be a bit of a wait before we see the PS6 land on store shelves. Let’s just hope that once the console does arrive, we don’t have to contend with the same level of scalping we saw last time.
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