Guillemot: "PlayStation 5 and fourth Xbox to launch 2019 at the earliest"
Ubisoft CEO does not expect new consoles any time soon thanks to launch of PS4 Pro and Xbox One X
The next generation of games consoles is a minimum of two years away, Yves Guillemot predicts.
The CEO of Ubisoft commented on the future of the home console games market during a call to investors following the publisher's latest financial results. GameSpot reports that he believes the mid-generation hardware updates mean new devices won't be launched any time soon.
"As Sony launched PlayStation 4 Pro last year and Microsoft Xbox One X this year, we think we still have a minimum of two years in front of us before something new is coming," Guillemot stated. "But that's our perception, we don't have any confidential information on that front."
If a PlayStation 5 and the fourth iteration of Xbox (we're not going to even attempt to guess at Microsoft's naming convections) were to launch in 2019, it would mark six years since this current generation kicked off.
Historically consoles tended to last around five years, although the previous generation came in at around eight years, starting with the Xbox 360 launch in 2005.
To further drive hardware sales before releasing fully-fledged replacements, Sony and Microsoft have both launched superior mid-generation models in the form of PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, a move many have likened to the smartphone market.
Guillemot is particularly pleased with both platform holders for the move, predicting that they will help maintain hardware sales momentum in the year to come.
"We really like the fact that Sony and Microsoft are really putting more power in their machines, using the evolution of technology to give power to our developers to create better games for our players," he said.
"That is going in the right direction rather than trying to do accessories or other things. That is going to help the industry a lot because the games will be really beautiful on those machines."
His comment about accessories no doubt refers to both Sony and Microsoft's attempts to expand their audience and extend the life of their hardware with PlayStation Move and Microsoft Kinect - two wildly different takes on motion-controlled gaming released as a response to the rise of Nintendo Wii.
While the devices sold moderately well, neither seemed to reignite the market in the way originally pitched, although PlayStation Move is staging a comeback thanks to its applications with PlayStation VR.