Those gamers who have long awaited the release of the PlayStation 5 will have to wait a while longer. Such is the official word from Sony Interactive Entertainment, who said it will be at least three years before development on the next-generation gaming console is completed.

Rumors were flying fast and furious earlier this year that Sony might be ready to preview the PlayStation 5 sometime in 2018. The flames were fueled by a list of leaked specifications for the system and reports on the microchip that would be used to power the system's central processor. When Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO John Kodera said that Sony's current console, the PlayStation 4, was coming to the end of its life-cycle, many felt that news regarding the PlayStation 5's release date had to be on the horizon.

It seems, however, that the rumors of the PlayStation 4's death have been greatly exaggerated. A report from WSJ regarding Kodera's comments on the PlayStation 5 during Sony's Investor Relations Day proved to be a bucket of water on the campfire of speculation. Kodera said:

"We will use the next three years to prepare the next step to crouch down so that we can jump higher in the future."

PS4 Pro console

Kodera's further comments indicate a major paradigm shift at Sony Interactive Entertainment regarding how the company approaches the PlayStation line. Kodera claims that "we’re no longer in a time when you can think just about the console or just about the network like they’re two different things." Kodera continued, explaining that "a broader perspective" was now required "because so many things are now connected via the internet."

This would seem to fit with Sony's current tactics in the interactive entertainment market, where the PlayStation has come to dominate the console gaming space this generation so far. With a focus on working with other game development companies on games that are exclusively available to the PlayStation 4 (such as God of War and the upcoming Spider-Man PS4), the company has outsold their primary rival, Microsoft's Xbox One.

While this news will likely prove a disappointment to the legions of gamers hoping to see a PlayStation 5 in time for the holiday season this year, it seems unlikely that this will kill their enthusiasm. If anything, Kodera's comments seem likely to boost speculation, given earlier information leaks, that this may all be a feint for a surprise release later this year. Unlikely as that may be given the level of secrecy required at all levels of the company and various retailers for such a stunt, hopes remain high.

More: PlayStation 5 Won't Release Until 2020 At The Earliest

Source: WSJ