Sony trademarks future consoles, all the way up to ‘PS10’ in Japan

If you ever doubted Sony’s long-term commitment to the gaming industry, you can now rest easy. Sony Interactive Entertainment have trademarked the names “PS6, PS7, PS8, PS9 and PS10” in Japan, all before the PS5 has even released.

While this might simply seem like standard practice for most companies, the more you think about it, the more interesting this trademarking spree is. According to Gematsu, the original PS was trademarked in 2000, despite the console itself coming out in 1994. The PS2 was trademarked just a year before release, in 1999, the PS3 was trademarked in 2005, while the console released in 2006. Both the PS4 and PS5 were trademarked in 2006, with the PS4 releasing in 2013, and the PS5 to be released next year.

The pattern of trademarking shows an increase in confidence by the Japanese electronics giant as time went on. While there’s no reason to assume Sony would ever leave the gaming industry, it’s interesting to see that Sony have such long-term plans for the brand. If console generations continue to release in a similar timeframe to the previous few generations, then we won’t be seeing the PS10 until 2055!

Of course, filing for a trademark doesn’t necessarily mean that the company intends to use that name or branding – in many cases it’s simply a precautionary measure. Still, it’s interesting to see that Sony even feels the need to protect the ‘PS’ trademark, all the way up to the PS10. 

Compared to the film and television industry, gaming is still in its relative infancy, and so being forward facing is never a bad thing. This also means that even if the PS5 fails spectacularly, Sony are more than likely to come back swinging with the PS6, giving gamers the peace of mind that one bad console won’t lead to Sony exiting the industry.

KitGuru says: What do you think Sony trademarking all the way up to the PS10 means? Is this just standard procedure, or is there more to it than meets the eye? Does this news change how you view Sony’s commitment to the industry in any way? Let us know down below.

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