In another episode of this kind of soon-to-be-revealed information, the FTC appears to have confirmed that the next-gen Xbox console is ready to go. Specifically, a March 14 petition signed by the plaintiffs’ attorneys aimed to force Microsoft to provide documents related to its tenth-generation game system, even referring to it by codename. Although the temporary alias has been removed from the copy of the directory put into the public folder, the internal name appears to be about 15 characters long. Since the average English word is less than five characters, the codename of the next-gen Xbox system can contain two words.
Believed to be the deal’s biggest private rival, Sony has been heavily involved in the FTC case that is currently in the discovery, pending trial. However, Microsoft’s back-and-forth with the US regulator and Sony has had unintended effects on the Japanese game giant, most recently after an apparent legal reveal broke out. cut a potential PlayStation 6 release date.
For reference, the Xbox Series X and Series S are codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart, respectively, although Microsoft also named the entire ninth-generation Xbox line-up Project Scarlett. Previously, the Xbox One was internally referred to as Project Durango, while the original Xbox 360 and Xbox were referred to as Project Natal and Midway respectively. The reason the FTC is even interested in learning more about Microsoft’s next-generation hardware plans has to do with the nature of the lawsuit, which aims to demonstrate that allowing the company to acquire Activision Blizzard could lead to antitrust issues in the future. Plaintiff believes that having a clearer view of Microsoft’s long-term game plans will provide him with the arguments necessary to prove that owning the Call of Duty maker would expose Xbox to abuse. power is too easy.
Microsoft has provided FTC lawyers with documents detailing the strategic business goals of its games division, as evidenced by the new motion referring to the PS6 rival by a specific codename. However, the filing attorney was not satisfied with the range of documents provided and is now trying to force Microsoft to be more transparent in its pre-trial disclosures. As for the logical outcome of these proceedings, many industry watchers have predicted that Microsoft should complete its acquisition of Activision Blizzard since February, given the FTC’s objections to the $69 billion acquisition. USD has very little legal basis.