AsMicrosoftcontinued its argumentation in the legal trial with the Federal Trade Commission, more and more previously unknown information has been coming to the forefront, and one of the latest and most intriguing pieces of news is that Sony may be sitting on an actual PlayStation 5 Slim console. More interesting still is the fact that Microsoft may have leaked its pricing model and release window, to boot.
Microsoft’s attempts to placate Sonyhave so far been quite unsuccessful, and Xbox is also now being forced to legally argue in favor of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard via the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction of the deal. Though a huge number of governments have already greenlit Microsoft’s acquisition of the gaming giant, the United States' own FTC has refused to do so, opting instead to set up an antitrust argument that has ended up in court.
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Unsurprisingly,Microsofthasn’t been keen on the developing situation, and the company has leaked a huge array of important information about Xbox, PlayStation, and Sony as part of its legal argumentation. Its latest claim that Sony has got a PS5 Slim ready to launch later in 2023 is one of the most notable of these leaks yet, and the idea that the device might sell at a reduced $399 price point suggests that PlayStation’s sales strategy for the rest of the year may be very aggressive indeed. This would mean that the PS5 Slim is being set up for the same price bracket as the regular Digital Edition of the PS5, which is a potentially curious predicament, but one that is sure to result in even more sales for Sony.
The potential existence of a PS5 Slim isn’t necessarily thebiggest FTC v. Microsoft bombshell, it’s worth pointing out. Xbox and PlayStation have laid almost everything bare for the sake of the injunction hearing. What was once supposed to be a simple, albeit substantial business deal, has now turned into one of the biggest legal clashes of recent years, and it’s not winding down just yet.
In fact,Canada spoke out against the Activision Blizzard acquisition, too, with the Canadian Regulatory Bureau highlighting what it felt were “inaccuracies” in Microsoft’s court filings. Microsoft subsequently pointed out that the CRB’s formal waiting period for argumentative submissions had already run out.
One of the more interesting leaks to have come out of the whole situation is thatDayZ 2is currently in development, which hadn’t even been hinted at up until that point. Regardless of whether Microsoft ends up being allowed to acquire Activision Blizzard or not, the legal battle with the FTC has already resulted in a wealth of leaks and otherwise inaccessible information, making it a huge deal for the gaming industry at large.
