At GamesBeat Next 2026 in San Francisco, Nex Playground President Tom Kang took the stage for a fireside chat on why families will be the gaming industry’s next big audience. Game Thinking founder Amy Jo Kim moderated.

Kim noted that the industry has spent the past year or two waiting for the next big thing and asked Kang to make his case. Kang said Nex isn’t looking to be another console.

“This is an active play system,” Kang explained. “We are not serving an audience that’s already well served. We’re bringing new people into the ecosystem.”

Kang’s Nex Playground pitch relies on looking at the family living room as an underused space. “We believe the living room is underutilized,” he said, describing the TV as “a big 65, 80 inch iPad” that the company intends to use for their motion-based play. He also said the platform is meant to sit beside existing consoles.

“We’re not an ‘or’ platform,” he said. “You don’t choose to buy our platform or a Switch. It’s an ‘and’ platform.”

Kang also explained how sports are how the platform has aged up from its preschool roots. “100% linchpin,” he said, noting that the company has partnerships with the NBA, NHL and NFL. He said professional sports leagues have an interest in reaching younger fans earlier, and that living-room play could lower the barrier to their entry.

“We allow kids and families to play sports in their living room, which creates accessibility, so kids can understand the rules, learn basic skills, and create interest in the sport.”

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