This could be a game changer
Sony Interactive Entertainment has apparently been working on an online tournament system which will be using the PlayStation Network to track games and players in real time on PlayStation 5.
According to a new patent published last week, the proposed online tournament integration will allow both developers and players, as well as third-party organizers, to host tournaments in separate capacities.
Sony has particularly focused on a wide range of tools to give any player the freedom to host a small tournament for a single game with friends and family. The same tools can however be also used to scale up for a large tournament with numerous participants, multiple games, and a custom set of rules.
The patent furthermore mentions a "gaming network platform" where players will need to have an account in order to register for online tournaments. This is possibly the PlayStation Network since Sony wants to access user details for "recruiting and invitations, team-building, notifications, reminders, match scheduling, updated brackets, real-time reporting."
There also stands the possibility that Sony has a vested interest in creating a brand new platform to focus on esports alone.