Legal battles end up giving away information and that has been the case with the FTC versus Microsoft hearing. The US Federal Trade Commission is trying to block Microsoft’s move to acquire Activision Blizzard in a deal valued at $68.7 billion while Microsoft is trying to show itself as nothing close to being a threat. In the ongoing legal battle, an interesting piece of information has surfaced — Microsoft believes Sony will release a PlayStation 5 Slim later this year.
A legal document has come up as part of the trial and there is a paragraph on pricing: “PlayStation likewise sells a less expensive Digital Edition for $399.99, and is expected to release a PlayStation 5 Slim later this year at the same reduced price point.”
That’s not all. Microsoft also says: “Sony is also anticipated to release a handheld version of PlayStation 5 later this year for under $300.” This probably refers to Sony’s announced Project Q, a handheld game-streaming device that wirelessly connects to the PS5.
If Microsoft has got its info correct, Sony will have very little to announce when the products come up for launch. Last week, a confidential Sony document wasn’t properly redacted and it has ended up giving details about the margins Sony shares with publishers, its Call of Duty revenues, and the cost of developing some of its games. It appears that Horizon Forbidden West had cost $212 million over five years with 300 employees, and The Last of Us Part II cost $220 million with around 200 employees.