Nex Playground Targets Wii-Scale Sales
For readers in the UK, the Nex Playground story is one to watch, because the motion-sensing family console is due to launch here in June. The device has now sold more than one million units in the United States since its late 2023 debut, and its team is already talking about a far bigger target, matching the Nintendo Wii.
Tom Kang, Nex Playground's head of international, told Game Developer, "Our ambitions are as big as the Wii." That is a serious benchmark, given the Wii sold more than 101 million units worldwide. Only the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Switch have gone past that mark in the home console market.
Sales have been helped by strong retail periods, with the Nex Playground reportedly outselling both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S during Black Friday. Even so, growth has been held back by supply problems, with Kang saying the console sold out in 2024 and 2025 and missed whole holiday seasons. That suggests demand may have been higher than the one million figure shows.
Costs have also risen, which led to a price increase for the console. The team says its supply chain is now in much better shape, and it believes that will support wider growth as the hardware reaches more markets. After the UK, the next planned releases are mainland Europe and parts of Asia.
The software side is built around a digital Play Pass subscription. It costs $49, £45 or €49 quarterly, or $89, £90 or €99 annually. Five games come pre-loaded with the console, so players can start without subscribing. For more RetroShell coverage of the latest hardware and industry news, see our news tag.
Matching the Wii is still a huge ask. Nintendo's console combined motion controls, broad family appeal and perfect timing in a way few systems ever have. Whether Nex Playground can build that kind of audience will depend on supply, software and how well its subscription model lands with players.
Originally reported by TimeExtension. Nintendo investor information is available via Nintendo's official IR site.
