According to Soderlund, "I guess we could've maybe been a year earlier (with new consoles). But I think the reason why they lasted so long was because consumers told Microsoft, Sony and others that what they had was sufficient for a long time."
The delay in the release of the One and PS4 were the chief reason EA boss Frank Gibeau stated at last year's E3 2012 that gamers were only seeing "half the picture", but couldn't discuss next-gen systems.
"I mean, when you're in year seven or eight of a console generation and you know that new consoles are coming but you can't talk about them, and you have to talk about the old stuff... of course it's frustrating. Now we can let everything go, which is a relief for sure," Soderlund related.
He added, "So for sure, I think the cycle could've been a year shorter but not necessarily. It now feels good that we get new stuff."
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are expected to see a release late in 2013.