Big-budget games that started production today would be for PS6, says industry expert

It’s no secret that developing a game isn’t a quick task. We’re all used to delays by this point, but I also think people are starting to recognise that delays are often a good thing. Just take God of War Ragnarök, for example. The title was originally set to release in 2021, but was later pushed back a year. Having completed it, I can attest that there’s practically nothing in that game to fault. A clear contrast to titles that were perhaps rushed to release like Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 2042.

One industry expert has made quite the claim though. Gaming development cycles are now so long that if a big-budget project was started today, it would probably be released during the PlayStation 6 era. That hurts to think about.

Who’s excited for Starfield which is rumoured to release in the next few months. Take a look at some gameplay below.

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier took to Twitter to write, “Fun fact: Video game production cycles have gotten so long that if a big-budget game studio started working on a brand new project today, it would likely be for the PlayStation 6.” Let’s break this down. There were six years between the PS1 and PS2, followed by another six years between the PS2 and PS3. The gap between the PS3 and PS4 extended to seven years. The PS5 was released seven years after that.

With this in mind, we could expect to see a PlayStation 6 console potentially released in 2027. Schreier’s tweet specifies projects that are starting now, placing an AAA game’s production life cycle at around four to five years long. I’ll admit, it sounds about right. It’s certainly a strange thought to comprehend. The PS5 still feels so new - perhaps because PS5 exclusives are so thin on the ground still.

The good news is, we know that GTA VI is already in production (due to the major leak) so we should see that drop in the PS5 era. Selfishly, I hope that The Last of Us Part III is also already in production. I need my hands on that one as soon as possible.

Topics: PlayStation