It’s assumed that one would be a portable handheld, and evidence is seemingly mounting about its performance. Regarding whether it would be as powerful as a PS5 if launched by 2028, Kepler recently responded on NeoGAF, “No, it’s a 15W SoC on 3nm.”

Naturally, this resulted in several follow-up questions, including the point of the console if it can’t run PS5 games. The leaker clarified that it definitely can, but “not at the same resolution/FPS, mainly due to lower memory bandwidth.”

When asked if the performance is between the PS4 Pro and PS5, the leaker responded, “Hard to estimate performance since it’s using an unreleased GPU uarch, but I think it’s somewhere between Xbox Series S and PS5.” Interestingly, the alleged handheld “tapes out” a few months after the regular PS6’s SoC.

However, Sony isn’t repurposing existing PS6 chips for the handheld by having less usable CUs. “They’re different SoCs,” said Kepler and the portable is “specially designed to run at very, very low voltages.” They clarified that its CUs are a “lot less than 40” and that it’s a “different SoC” despite sharing “a few things with Soundwave.”

Sony hasn’t provided a timeline for the PS6’s launch, though Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino has indicated that it won’t be affected by the PS5’s lifecycle.

That’s what a recent job ad suggests, at any rate. Spotted by a ResetEra user, a listing published by Rocksteady for a senior core engine programmer reveals that the studio is looking to release its next game on “high-end PCs, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and the next generation of consoles.”

Of course, the listing doesn’t specifically mention a Batman game, instead referring to the project as an “upcoming unannounced AAA title”. However new single-player Batman game is what Rocksteady’s next AAA release will be, according to leaks. Plans could still change, especially given how early in development the game is right now, but for now, it looks like Rocksteady is eyeing a cross-gen release down the line.

However, it’s not quite that straightforward. From Sony’s perspective, there are a lot of factors to consider, as tempting as it may be to remove the physical option entirely. Relationships with retailers are chief among those, since Sony needs retailers to be happy if they want them to carry the PS6 in sufficient numbers – and hardware sales themselves are fairly low-to-no margin. In other words, the only way the PlayStation 6 will be a profitable venture for retailers at all, the only way it is worth it for them to actually sell the thing, is if they also get to sell games with it. They can (and do, and will continue to) make money off of accessories (such as controllers, headsets, what have you), and digital coupons and vouchers too, to be fair. But without the ability for them to sell games as well, the money they make from console sales will be very limited.

There are ways to offset this problem, of course, but they aren’t entirely practical. For example, one easy way to sidestep the problem is to make the console itself high margin for retailers. The easiest way to do that is to not subsidize the console and sell it at loss. In fact, more often than not, that has been Sony’s entire modus operandi since the day that they entered the industry- to sell subsidized hardware at loss, and then make up that money via ecosystem and software revenues). But the problem there is that that either means Sony sells a very expensive console – for instance, there was no way to sell a console like the PS5 for $399 at launch in 2020 like Sony did, without taking a hit – or that they sell a reasonably priced machine that is still high margin itself, but then they end up having to sell far weaker hardware than PlayStation fans and the industry expects from them (like what Nintendo does).

There are other things Sony could do. For example, allowing digital coupon and voucher sales in stores for not just PlayStation Plus subscriptions and PSN credit, but also directly for games. This is something Sony’s competitors already do- Switch owners, for example, can buy digital codes for several major first and third party games directly from retailers. This isn’t even limited to just the bigger releases either. Even indie titles such as Hollow Knight or Dead Cells can be purchased directly as a code in this way. Sony used to do this as well, but they discontinued the venture a few years ago, and locked down digital sales exclusively to PlayStation, because otherwise they have to share their cut with the retailers that carry and sell their codes. But it’s obviously not an unsolvable problem. Sony’s competition already takes the hit to their revenue, and Nintendo’s ecosystem generates far less revenue than Sony’s (meaning Sony can more than afford the hit, such as it is).

However, even this solution presents a problem, which ties into another major factor for Sony to consider when it comes time to ponder a shift to a digital-only console. Of all the console manufacturers, PlayStation is the one with the biggest global presence, the one that is sold in more major markets in the world than either Nintendo or Xbox. This is a major advantage to Sony that cannot be downplayed at all, and a huge reason for the gigantic sales Sony enjoys with each console is the incumbency they enjoy in so many global markets, where console gaming may as well be synonymous with PlayStation.

This isn’t just limited to affluent markets such as western European or southeast Asian nations either. Sony is huge in multiple developing and emerging markets, such as India, China, the Middle East, South America, and Africa. And many of these are markets where internet connectivity to facilitate gigantic multi-hundred GB downloads is not necessarily a given, and any product that requires that for basic functionality – in this case, a game console playing games – is a non-starter in several of those markets as a result. So if Sony wants to decide to simply forsake its presence in several global markets (or be relegated to an extremely small niche of the market), then and only then going digital-only is a viable option.

That said, Sony may have engineered a solution that lets them have their cake and eat it too. The modularity of the current PlayStation 5 models (both the “Slim”, and the Pro) may be a hint. It is very easy for Sony to sell a console that doesn’t have a disc drive, and sell the disc drive as an add-on option, the way it has been doing this generation. This not only has the desired effect of creating a digital-only default (and most of the mass market will not bother ever upgrading past the base option), but it also keeps a physical option open.

That latter factor means it’s an easier transition to digital-only for those consumers who will go kicking and screaming into a discless age, but it also keeps the console viable in those aforementioned global markets where a digital-only system would be unviable. In fact, Sony could feasibly take it one step further, and sell region-specific SKUs that come with the disc drive already included and attached in markets like India or Brazil, while continuing to sell the discless version of the console as the default option in markets like Europe or North America.

Something like that definitely might work, and is closer to what would be feasible for Sony to do next generation. It not only creates a gentler transition for customers, it also gives them continued viability in other markets where internet infrastructure is not yet comprehensive enough to support a digital-only console. It may not be exactly what Sony ends up doing, but whatever the path they choose is, it is extremely likely that it will be a moderate, gentler nudge towards a digital-only future rather than a full-throttled, forced push. Smaller and iterative steps that encourage customers to go digital-only are likely to be the sum of what Sony does with the PS6. If there is ever a digital-only PlayStation console, it will come further in the yet more distant future- PlayStation 7, perhaps?

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Known insider Daniel Richtman has claimed in a report on his Patreon page that the next God of War game features an Egyptian mythology setting. As per the leaker, Sony is casting Middle Eastern actors for an unannounced AAA action-adventure title, likely the next God of War game.

This would be far from the first time an Egyptian mythology setting has been broached by the developers of God of War. Early on during the 2018 reboot’s development, Egypt was strongly favoured, before the team decided to settle on Norse mythology. Meanwhile, following the reboot’s release, director Cory Barlog suggested that the series could head to Egypt next.

Of course, leaks have claimed that Sony Santa Monica is currently working on a new IP, which might be the project that Barlog (who took a backseat for God of War Ragnarok) is leading. What that would mean for the immediate future of God of War is unclear.

Nishino believes the PS5 will be around as long as the PS4. He doesn’t, however, think that it makes sense for the company to push future console releases back because of the success of its current line-up.

“We believe that PS5 will have a long lifecycle, just like PS4,” said Nishino. “However, I don’t think it is right to delay the timing of the launch of the next product that incorporates new technology because of the long time it will take.”

“The timing for the launch of new hardware is related to the time frame in which technology evolves and the time frame in which we can implement that technology,” he said. “Therefore, I think it is important to offer new products while people play those currently being used and to expand the total number of games we offer.”

According to Nishino, the launch of the next console depends on the progress made in figuring out new hardware that could justifiably be referred to as next-generation. He also states that, even though a new console will eventually come out, the previous one will continue to be available for players, pointing to the PS4 being available throughout the PS5’s lifecycle.

“For example, PS4 has been in the process of automated production, and the quality of the hardware is high. That is why it can be used for a long time. Of course, PS5 will be produced automatically from the beginning. From now on, we would like to expand our business by combining the longevity of long-lasting products with new technologies.”

When alluding to next-gen hardware potentially being in development (with the PS4 Pro cited as taking four years), Nishino mentions that the company tries to balance technology, price, and timing with the release of its consoles. “We are always considering when we will hit the spot we think we will hit.”

In the same interview, Nishino also spoke about the future of the gaming console market. Pointing to products like the PlayStation Portal, Nishino said that, even though some players already use cloud gaming options, there will still be a demand for dedicated gaming hardware. This means that we don’t have to worry about consoles disappearing any time soon, according to Nishino.

As for future consoles, Sony’s research and development teams are undoubtedly already working on next-generation hardware. Console makers traditionally start research on next-gen hardware quite early into a console’s life cycle, and the PlayStation 6 has likely been in development in some form or another for quite some time (especially since development on the PS5 Pro began before the PS5’s launch).

Considering the pace of hardware developments in the PC gaming space, Sony is also likely looking into the ideal combination of hardware that would make for a good console upgrade while being available at an affordable price tag.

The pair were understandably tight-lipped during the State of Play announcement. No stills, no branding, and certainly no gameplay footage. In fact, whilst Hideo confirms the idea has fruition and preparations are currently in the works at Kojima Productions development of Physint will only begin after the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach in 2025. So, first answer to the question ‘what the hell is Physint?’ is almost certainly this: it’s a next-generation title, and because Sony are collaborating throughout that means it’ll release to PlayStation 6.

Of course, this isn’t conclusive. Things with Kojima-san rarely are. But, as you know, video games of Kojima’s scale take years to make. PS6 hasn’t even been announced never mind have a firm release window, but insiders reckon it’ll be another four-or-so years until Sony’s next console drops, so we’re potentially looking at 2028 and beyond until we get our hands on Physint. Either way, Hideo himself declares Physint a next-generation title, thus providing us with the most conclusive statement we can make in this whole feature. Everything else from here on out is pure speculation.

There’s a documentary on the near horizon – Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds – that’ll explore Hideo’s creative mind, tracking his three-decade career with Konami before forming his own independent studio. In the documentary’s trailer, Hideo talks about consistently striving to create something unique. Something that’s never been done before, or something he himself has never achieved previously. Specifically, following his stint with Konami, Kojima begun work on Death Stranding, the first ‘strand’ game. With Death Stranding 2, Kojima is developing his own franchise. Microsoft exclusive OD is Kojima’s first attempt at a full-scale horror release. Whilst Physint is indeed re-treading the action espionage ground for which he made his name, the sentiment of wanting to craft something wholly unique still applies. 

New here could mean anything though. “We plan to bring together cutting-edge technology and talent from around the world to create it”, states Kojima of Physint. He goes on: “Of course, it is an interactive game, but it is also a movie at the same time, in terms of look, story, theme, cast, acting, fashion, and sound. With this title, we hope to transcend the barriers between film and video games.” In fact, Hideo reckons your own mother, should she walk in and see you playing the game, will think you’re watching a movie. This clarification (for lack of a better word (it’s not clearer at all)) courtesy of HideoTube’s first video in seven years does dispel the possibility that Physint will be two connected pieces of media. With Sony Interactive Entertainment and Columbia Pictures involved, it was plausible a film would be released alongside the game. “Of course, it will be a game,” Hideo confirms, but “I’m not sure how far we can take it yet.”

Now, this statement implies there’s tech Kojima Productions are harnessing for Physint that hasn’t been invented yet, is yet to be fully developed, or hasn’t ever been used in the way Hideo plans. These statements from Hideo discredit the notion that Physint will be an interactive movie-type game akin to Until Dawn, The Quarry, or Detroit: Become Human. Well, given Hideo’s desire to always strive for uniqueness, that’s probably a given. Instead, perhaps Physint will occupy space akin to virtual or augmented reality. How, right now, is anyone’s guess. Can the name of the game itself provide any meaningful clues as to whether Physint will be a virtual reality game?

Well, yes, actually, it can. Although, before we get into analysing and speculating on the meaning behind the word Physint, it’s worth remembering the word can have double or triple meanings. Kojima-san loves a red herring after all.

Best, and most plausible guess for the ‘int’ portion of Physint is it’s a contraction of intelligence. After all, it’s a well-established principle for defining real-world intelligence gathering principles. Human intelligence – HUMINT – is gathered from people, foreign advisors, prisoners of war, espionage. CYBINT is gathered from cyberspace, SIGINT from intercepting signals, TECHINT – technical intelligence – concerns the analysis and interpretation of weapons and equipment, just to name a few. Alternatively, the ‘int’ of Physint could mean interactive, but the nomenclature follows something real-world, so for the sake of speculating on the ‘phys’ let’s go with the assuming Physint refers to some sort of intelligence gathering process.

But what kind? Physical? Physiological? Perhaps psychological? Or maybe something psychic? Concerning an aspect of physics, possibly? All these speculations have merit. Death Stranding and, to a lesser extent, Metal Gear Solid have leaned on the supernatural, or otherworldly and unexplainable. In Death Stranding a cataclysmic event introduced a new element to the world which caused new physics in the form of timefall to exist. Perhaps Physint then is related to a profound new form of physics – perhaps the ability to transcend time, control gravity, manipulate dimensions – and harnessing this new breed of physics will be the method in which to gather covert intel. Should this form of power exist, there’d likely be numerous organisations and governments fighting to get their hands on it. Perhaps the player will use this control to keep it out of the wrong hands, or maybe Physint will take place in a world where multiple agencies have control over these mysterious new physics. A device might hold the key to unleashing this power, with a secretive arms race ensuing. Global balances of power might be shifting. A Cold War could be brewing, or full-scale conventional warfare might already be at large.

It’s easy to get carried away with ideas on the storyline and established world Physint will inhabit. Of course, ‘phys’ might refer to something different. Physical, maybe? A new way to understand and interact with the physical world, perhaps? A method of collecting and interpreting physical information – whatever that may be – for espionage purposes? Physical may even relate to player actions, supporting the notion that Physint will be a VR or AR game. Perhaps it’ll be a hybrid of immersive, 360° cutscenes and virtual reality action where players gather intel from digitised renditions of real-world locations. Maybe Hideo is developing tech that’ll enable players to mocap themselves right into the centre of the action. That’ll certainly be one way to transcend the barrier between games and movies.  

Okay, back to reality. We’re getting somewhat carried away here.

In 2020, Kojima was seriously unwell, and underwent surgery as part of his recovery. During this time, and whilst being constantly ushered along by fans begging him daily on social media to revisit Metal Gear Solid, Hideo made the decision to return to the genre in which he made his name. One final conclusion we can draw is Physint will not be Metal Gear Solid VI, it’ll be a spiritual successor at most. Hideo wants to do something unique, and whilst we certainly have years to wait, the promise of Death Stranding 2 and OD gives us Kojima fans something to relish in the meantime.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

A report published by Reuters claims that Sony is at work on the PS6, and that the console will be using an AMD chip, similar to the PS4 and PS5. The report claims that Sony was in extensive discussions with a number of chip manufacturers, with Intel and AMD emerging as the two frontrunners.

However, the decision was ultimately made by 2022 to continue working with the latter, with Sony wanting to prioritize backward compatibility. In discussions with Intel, it emerged that maintaining backward compatibility with past-gen consoles while using an Intel chip instead of an AMD one would prove too costly and require too many additional resources. Disagreements over profit sharing also contributed to talks between Sony and Intel falling through.

In a statement provided to Reuters, Intel said, “We strongly disagree with this characterization but are not going to comment about any current or potential customer conversations. We have a very healthy customer pipeline across both our product and foundry business, and we are squarely focused on innovating to meet their needs.”

The PS5 is set to turn four years old this November, which would mean it’s a little more than halfway through its lifecycle. That work on Sony’s next console is already underway certainly makes sense in context of the timeline, especially with past reports having claimed that Sony was tentatively targeting a 2028 release for its next-gen machine.

It’s certainly closer than we thought it’d be, but still not quite there yet. Before diving into the current state of modern GPUs and recent PS5 Pro leaks, let’s look back on the PS5 architecture itself. Built on an AMD RDNA 2-based GPU with 10.28 teraflops, the PS5 utilized its SSD to supply super-fast loading times and 4K graphics. Console gamers are aware of the performance versus graphics mode dilemma that accompanies every game log-in, and that’s one area where we see a bottleneck preventing games from achieving photorealism. If the PS5’s four-year-old AMD tech isn’t up to the task of generating 4K ray tracing at 60 FPS, it sure isn’t able to generate any kind of photorealism.

That brings us to 2024. The most powerful consumer graphics cards today still can’t reliably produce photorealistic contexts beyond static scenes or tech demos. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is widely considered the best gaming graphics card as of 2024, yet a vast majority of games haven’t caught up to its 80-teraflop potential. You’d be even harder-pressed to find a CPU that can operate such demands at full capacity. Top-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 come close to photorealism, but the $1,600 price point, high energy consumption, and lack of photorealistic games on the market make their potential greater than what they can currently run. Even so, the RTX 4090 still needs to make compromises now and then to consistently run games like Cyberpunk 2077 at 100 fps with 4K ray tracing: it’s close, but still not there yet.

Photorealism in gaming may be out of reach today, but there is an especially promising feature present in modern graphics cards that anticipates photorealism – and that’s AI upscaling technology. Nvidia’s DLSS is an AI-powered process that artificially enhances visuals to free up computational processes. AI can ease up the bottleneck problem with instantaneous speed, freeing up the CPU and GPU to render higher and higher-resolution 3D environments without excessive strain. Currently, GPUs with DLSS frame-generation enabled, such as the RTX 4090, still bottleneck occasionally when 4K ray tracing is pushed on high-end games, but that should be mostly solved when the next generation of graphics cards releases in late 2024. Machine learning AI solutions are a step in the right direction toward realizing photorealistic gaming, even if it’s not all there yet.

PlayStation’s partnership with AMD likely aims to master these machine learning AI solutions starting with PS5 Pro and culminating with the PS6. Reliable PS5 Pro leaks from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson say the updated console will run on the same Zen 2 CPU from the base PS5, however new AI upscaling in the form of PSSR and an upgraded 33 teraflops also power the PS5 Pro. Digital Foundry predicts that the PS5 Pro’s 8K PSSR upscaling “could be just as transformative for Sony as it has been for Nvidia DLSS.” The PS5 Pro’s 33.5 teraflop size is nothing to sneeze at, being over twice the size of the base PS5’s 10.23. Back in 2016, Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney said that 40 teraflops would be enough to generate photorealistic scenes in games, and we seem to be reaching that point with the PS5 Pro, if the leaks are accurate.

Though, if even the RTX 4090 (which features a whopping 80 teraflops) still lacks the surrounding infrastructure to run anything more than photorealistic tech demos, I wouldn’t bet on the PS5 Pro achieving it either. Late 2024 is shaping up to be a milestone time for computer graphics as the latest generation of GPU cards from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel have their sights set on a holiday 2024 launch. This new wave of technology will be the test bed for the PS6 when its development inevitably begins in earnest. PlayStation console cycles have reliably lasted about seven years, so we expect the PS6 to arrive in the 2027/2028 window. As such, expect the PS6 to feature next-gen AMD tech and the latest enhancements in PSSR AI upscaling, but don’t expect absolute photorealism across the board.

Rendering a photorealistic scene and a playable photorealistic sandbox are two vastly separate things. At present, the computational cost required to run photorealistic graphics with complex gameplay isn’t possible for consumer GPUs. DLSS AI upscaling sure does help mitigate the extreme computational cost of running ultra-high-resolution graphics with a smooth framerate, but the visuals are still a ways from photorealism.

Epic has been a key player in the graphical race with its launch of Unreal Engine 5 in April 2022. Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite and Lumen systems help automate the 3D rendering of high-resolution objects so that when your character looks at environments, all the angles of the object maintain their fidelity and complex lighting features without bottlenecking computational power. These are game changers in the 3D rendering space, but they still require an ultra-powered GPU along with CPU thresholds that don’t currently exist to fulfil their maximum potential. So, yes, it is likely that the PS6 will approach photorealistic 3D imaging, but whether or not the games will perform and animate such photorealism smoothly is questionable.

One problem to consider is the high enthusiast price that an 80 teraflop GPU costs to manufacture for consoles. PlayStation usually aims to price its consoles at a reasonable point. At the end of the day, the PlayStation is a hassle-free gaming box intended as an alternative to high-end PCs – it simply won’t feature the most powerful CPU/GPU due to the reality of console price points. Second, games require much more than mere graphical fidelity to function, leading to an inevitable bottleneck of computing power that hasn’t quite been solved yet. Machine learning AI advancements are going a long way toward offloading some of that CPU strain, but it’s unlikely we’ll be slaying dragons in dynamic photorealistic worlds with just DLSS or PSSR upscaling alone.

Lastly, gamers want experiences that run and perform smoothly, even if it comes at the cost of peak resolution. What’s your initial response upon seeing a PS5 benchmark screen? Probably to turn on the 60 FPS performance mode to sacrifice the graphical mode’s 4K ray tracing (unless it’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth). When it comes to fast-paced action games like Sekiro or relaxed explorative experiences, gamers generally prefer a cohesively rich art style to mere graphical fidelity.

So, while photorealism will fit certain game aesthetics, the majority of stylistic games won’t bother sacrificing the effort and strain for the extra fidelity. Still, the advancement of AI upscaling and higher processing power can benefit any art style, so the more the merrier. We predict that photorealism still won’t be featured in many games during the PS6 generation, but it may be more common in 2030 when the potential PS6 Pro releases. What we’re seeing out of the RTX 4090 and PS5 Pro leaks are hopeful, but they still can’t reliably provide photorealistic experiences outside of tech demos and glorified photo modes.

In fact, according to industry veteran Peter Moore – who oversaw the launch of Dreamcast as the president of Sega America, then the release of Xbox 360 as the head of Xbox, and then became the head of EA Sports – those questions are being asked internally by the platformer holders as well.

Speaking in a recent interview with IGN, Moore said that given the shape the games industry is in and the fact that spending significant money on a bespoke piece of gaming hardware is becoming a less attractive proposition to many, the companies making consoles are doubtless having conversations about whether another generation of hardware will be worth investing in.

“I think it’s a real serious question that’s being asked I’m sure in Tokyo, in Redmond, Washington, in Kyoto,” he said. “That’s what everybody’s working on right now, because when you start off that next generation, you’ve got to be ready to absorb billions of dollars in losses. And is the industry, given all the layoffs and everything we’re going through right now, is the industry ready for that? Look at Sony laying off 900 people — a lot there in the UK. My two eldest daughters work at EA, they’re all right, but they’re always looking over their shoulder.”

He added: “Those are the questions that are being asked right now and it’ll all be tied around, do we continue to develop silicon? The role of AI, what does that mean? You can’t look away from that. Are these companies willing to go another round of multi-billion? And at the same time you’re gearing up for another cycle where gamers may not embrace the console and just say, you know what? I don’t need this, times are tough. I’ve got my phone, I’m enjoying what I’ve got on my phone. There’s plenty of games I can play. Failing that, of course I have my PC or my Mac, I can go do whatever I need to do there. And do I really need to be spending what could be five, $600 on a bespoke piece of hardware just to play games? So both the companies and gamers themselves are asking this question.”

Moore went on to add that though such things have been in consideration within the industry for two decades, the likes of Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft will be thinking harder about what value their next consoles will truly offer over their predecessors.

“What I’m saying is the questions are being asked, as they have been for the last 20 years,” he said. “Are we ready to gird our loins financially for battle and all of the cost of development, silicon development? What is it that PS6 can do that PS5 can’t that would make people jump from PS5, or same with Xbox, same with Switch, right? God forbid it’s just incremental. And I think that the companies are also looking at that. What can we do to extend this life cycle?

“And then if you’re Microsoft and you’re Phil Spencer, you’ve got Satya Nadella coming in and saying, alright, what is the future here and how does this play into the biggest strategy of cloud with Azure, with AI? What are we doing with AI game development? How do you make your games faster, cheaper, with less people? These are all the questions I think are being asked.”

Of course, as far as the relatively near future is concerned, it’s very much looking like there is going to be a next generation of consoles. Nintendo is expected to launch its next console in March 2025, while Microsoft has confirmed that work on the next-gen Xbox console is already underway. Meanwhile, reports have claimed that Sony is targeting a 2028 launch for the PlayStation 6.

As part of that leak, which was shared on ResetEra, another slide from an internal presentation covers details on Sony’s licensing agreement with Marvel for the X-Men property, revealing that the X-Men license will remain exclusive to PlayStation until 2035, during which time Insomniac Games will release Marvel’s Wolverine, Marvel’s X-Men, and Marvel’s X-Men 3, with a provisional fourth title also mentioned. Additionally, there’s also mention of Marvel’s Wolverine Online and Marvel’s X-Men Online, though it’s unclear whether or not those plans are out of date.

As per the leaked details of the licensing agreement, won’t be allowed to release or announce an X-Men game for consoles, PC, or streaming platforms, or use X-Men characters as “a competitive advantage” in a game- for instance, an X-Men character being exclusive to the Xbox version of a multiplatform game.

That said, the agreement does allow for X-Men characters to appear in what are described as “multi-family” Marvel games (citing examples like Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy), while Marvel will also retain the rights to “children’s games and certain X-Men games from the 1990s”.

The Insomniac ransomware leak has also revealed that the studio intends to release a new IP after 2030.