PlayStation CEOs Reveal PlayStation 5 Pro Was In The Works For 5 Years

November 1, 2024

Key Takeaways

The upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro didn’t just come from nowhere, it’s been in the works for five years.
That’s according to Co-CEOs Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst in a new interview with Variety.
Per that interview, work began before the original PS5 had even launched, with Nishino citing the rapid growth of technology.

While the long-rumored PlayStation 5 Pro may feel like it was barely announced before being released, that is only slightly true. Because while the console was originally unveiled on September 10, and it’s releasing next week (November 7), it turns out that the console has been in the works for some time.

Don’t Be Surprised The PS5 Pro Hasn’t Sold Out

Stock is still readily available at the majority of retailers.

Just how long? Well, as it turns out, the console has been in the works since before the original PS5 console was even released. Don’t take it from us, that’s what PlayStation CEOs Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst recently revealed.

The PS5 Pro Was Always In The Works

In a new interview with Variety, Nishino and Hulst discussed a number of PlayStation-centric topics. The duo are Co-CEOs of Sony’s gaming division, having been named successors to Jim Ryan earlier this year.

Citing the popularity of the original PS4 Pro, Nishino shared that “we started working on PS5 Pro even before PS5 (launched),” adding that it was a five-year project cycle. Nishino also cited the rapid growth of technology, including the fact that phones have annualized releases and PC parts change year-over-year. That said, don’t expect PlayStation to follow that trend. A console refresh is a more concerted effort.

“I don’t think we’d go every year updates, but there are things we can package together to bring the greatest things into game console segment range. So that’s the vision,” Nishino said.

Sony Also Has A Console Successor In Mind

Another noteworthy bit from the interview was Nishino affirming that nothing is done without accounting for the future. In this case, the future being a PlayStation 6.

“We design everything with having one ahead in our mind. It’s not like we just make a next step and we don’t know about the two steps ahead,” he added. “That’s not our way of working, because we need to make sure that the 10-year-old, generation cycle continues to be going as well.”

In other words, the PS5 Pro isn’t the final stop. It’s merely an addition to the road, and that road will also give way to a new console generation in due time. Still, it’s an exciting addition, one that fans won’t have to wait too long to get their hands on.