You actually kind of have to admire Microsoft for this move - all of a sudden, they're the good guy.
Sony said "publisher or developer" - that, to me, sounds like an undercut of Microsoft, who - in this case - is the platform holder.
If this is going to happen, game developers themselves are going to have to go to Sony and say, "We want cross-platform with Xbox", and Sony will be forced to explicitly say no, or to give in.
Either way, Microsoft looks like the good guy for initiating this. Well played, Spencer. Well played.
Guys - a lot of comments to the effect of "well, then what about..."
Just because an IPs not retired, that doesn't mean it's in active development. That would be impossible, to have active development on every single Sony IP simultaneously.
It's just a standard disclaimer that "anything can happen".
If you know how to read between the lines, this is basically a confirmation that, no, Sucker Punch in not making an Infamous game.
If they were, that would have been a much more emphatic statement in support of the franchise. Instead, it's a reminder of the basic policy that, technically, no IP is permanently closed.
jv303's comments