Nex Playground attracts $150 million in funding as its international success draws publisher interest in classic Kinect and Wii titles.
The gaming industry this week saw a notable highlight with Nex Playground’s significant strides both in market presence and funding. The company has successfully raised $150 million in new funding (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz) as sales of its family-oriented active console surpassed the one million unit mark. This fresh capital injection will likely fuel its ambitious global expansion plans.
In tandem with this funding news, Nex is preparing to officially launch its console in Germany later this year, with a retail price set at €319. This move is bolstered by significant interest from major publishers, who have approached Nex to bring new life to their old Kinect and Wii catalogues, according to GamesIndustry.biz. This could mean an increase in content availability, enhancing the console’s appeal to families and active gamers alike. The expansion is backed by an impressive leadership team, including notable figures like EA founder Bing Gordon.
Meanwhile, Xbox is undergoing a significant restructuring, as detailed in GameWorldObserver. Microsoft has confirmed the layoff of 20% of its Xbox staff amidst plans to reach an ambitious target of 1 billion daily players. This restructuring marks a challenging period for the Xbox team as they attempt to streamline operations and possibly refocus priorities in order to meet these lofty goals.
Elsewhere, Smartly Dressed Games has decided to make the source code for its zombie sandbox game ‘Unturned’ publicly available on GitHub, as reported by GameWorldObserver. This move continues a trend of developers sharing their source codes, potentially inviting community-driven innovations and modifications that could extend the game’s lifecycle.
Finally, Remedy is set to release ‘Control Resonant’ later this month. The sequel to 2019’s ‘Control’ features a shift in protagonist and setting, as well as an enhanced focus on melee combat. This evolution in gameplay and narrative scope was elaborated on by Remedy’s Arhi Makkonen in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
