Senior Producer
About the job
- At least 6 years of experience in game production, including full ownership of project budgets, milestone schedules, payment processing, and quality management from green light through launch.
- Proven experience driving green light and milestone approval processes, coordinating cross-functional stakeholders, facilitating approval meetings, managing pre-meeting alignment, and securing sign-off across business development, Finance, Legal, and publishing teams.
- Deep, inside-out knowledge of game development, with the ability to assess a project’s quality and direction at any stage and provide sharp, meaningful, and motivating feedback without overriding the developer’s creative ownership.
- Proven ability to set a clear destination for a development team by defining the vision and quality bar while empowering the developer’s Director to own how to achieve it.
- Sound judgment and courage to recommend a change of Director or replace a Developer who is not delivering, and experience knowing when that action is necessary.
- Experience managing relationships with Japan-based game developers across varying studio sizes and types, with a strong understanding of Japan’s game development culture and industry dynamics.
- Experience managing IP partnerships with Japanese licensors, including anime, manga, character, or entertainment franchises, and their approval processes and creative reviews.
- Strong knowledge of game development disciplines, including engineering, design, art, and quality assurance.
- Ability to build strong, trust-based relationships with external partners and internal stakeholders.
- Problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Adaptability and composure in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
- Native or near-native written and verbal Japanese proficiency for developer and IP partner relationships, plus strong English proficiency for collaboration with US Publishing and internal teams.
- Own the full production pipeline for externally developed Japan experiences, from developer pitch and selection through go-to-market and sustain.
- Build and manage relationships with Japan-based game developers of all scales as second-party development partners.
- Negotiate and manage partnerships with Japanese IP holders, including anime, manga, character, and entertainment licensors.
- Serve as the primary Japan-side partner to the US Publishing team, integrating Japan’s external content pipeline into the global roadmap.
- Represent Japan’s external development strategy in global publishing forums and report to the Japan General Manager.
- Develop a deep understanding of each external title’s gameplay systems, creative vision, target audience, and quality bar to ground feedback and decisions.
- Define each project’s destination, quality bar, and creative vision while leaving execution to the developer and its Director.
- Conduct structured playthroughs and build reviews throughout development and provide timely feedback that elevates quality without overriding developer creative ownership.
- Assess whether projects are tracking toward the intended vision and course-correct early when needed.
- Intervene early through communication, targeted feedback, and escalation when a project requires the Producer to take over creative direction.
- Exercise production authority by recommending a change of Director or, in extreme cases, replacing the Developer when necessary.
- Drive the green light process for each Japan external project by coordinating inputs and stakeholders, scheduling reviews, and securing formal approval.
- Own milestone approvals, including preparing review materials, facilitating meetings, aligning stakeholders, and documenting and communicating decisions.
- Manage project budgets, track costs, process milestone payments, manage change requests, and flag financial risks to the Japan General Manager and Finance team.
- Define and enforce project schedules and milestone plans, hold developers accountable to timelines, and identify and resolve schedule risks.
- Escalate budget overruns, schedule slippage, or unresolved quality concerns to the Japan General Manager and US Publishing team with context and recommended actions.
- Oversee the Japan external production pipeline, including pitches, developer selection, green lights, planning, milestone tracking, and launch readiness.
- Build production frameworks and tracking mechanisms for the Japan external pipeline from pre-green light through go-to-market and sustain.
- Work collaboratively with Japan development teams to deliver games and experiences that meet Nex Playground’s quality bar.
- Support Japan external projects’ integration with Nex Playground’s platform and technical standards in collaboration with the internal Development team.
- Identify, evaluate, and onboard Japan-based game developers as external development partners.
- Manage developer onboarding, including documentation, tooling access, Discord channel management, and ongoing communications.
- Contribute to the green light process for new Japan development projects, coordinating due diligence and reviews with business development, Finance, and Legal.
- Build long-term relationships across Japan’s game development community and position Nex Playground as a platform partner.
- Represent Nex Playground at Japan game industry events, developer conferences, and networking forums to cultivate partnerships.
- Identify and pursue Japanese IP partnerships across anime, manga, character franchises, and entertainment properties suited to the Nex Playground audience.
- Develop feedback loops for Japanese IP holders and internal stakeholders to improve game quality while maintaining gameplay, visual, branding, and design standards.
- Manage licensor relationships and approval processes, creative reviews, milestone sign-offs, and compliance with brand guidelines.
- Work with business development and Legal to structure and negotiate IP licensing agreements and define commercial terms and usage rights.
- Build trust and long-term partnership value with Japanese licensors through culturally sensitive, professional engagement.
- Plan localization with the Localization Manager from the earliest project stages and ensure it is scoped and resourced.
- Include localization milestones in master schedules, covering string freezes, asset handoffs, translation turnaround, and localization quality assurance.
- Monitor localization progress, identify risks or delays, and resolve blockers with the Localization Manager and external developers.
- Facilitate communication between external developers and the Localization Manager about localization requirements, handoffs, and quality standards.
- Ensure localized builds are reviewed and approved as part of milestone approval and that localization quality is maintained.
- Plan and manage live operations for Japan external titles, including update plans, quality-of-life improvements, and major content releases.
- Monitor post-launch performance using data-driven insights to inform live-operations decisions and improve business-aligned key performance indicators.
- Coordinate content release cadence and sustain strategy with Japan go-to-market, quality assurance, and US Publishing teams.
- Manage licensor approvals for ongoing live content updates and ensure content meets licensor standards.
- Partner with the Japan General Manager on external production strategy, green light decisions, and Japan content roadmap.
- Align the Japan external pipeline with the global roadmap and coordinate platform standards with the US Publishing team.
- Coordinate launch readiness, go-to-market planning, and content marketing with the Japan go-to-market and Performance Marketing Manager.
- Coordinate technical integration support with the internal Game Development team.
- Coordinate localization planning and execution, schedule milestones, and final localized-product quality with the Localization Manager.
- Coordinate developer due diligence, IP licensing negotiations, and contract management with business development and Legal.
- Manage budgets, milestone payments, and development cost tracking with Finance.
- Communicate project updates, risks, and timelines clearly and proactively to cross-functional teams and leadership across Japan and US time zones.
- Experience with motion-based, interactive, or family-focused games.
- Interest in kids’ and family entertainment and understanding of what resonates with Japanese family and kids’ audiences.
- Existing relationships with Japan-based game developers, IP licensors, or entertainment companies.
- Experience in a global publishing organization, bridging Japan-side production with US or international headquarters teams.
- Familiarity with live-operations frameworks, including update planning, content release cadence, and player retention strategies.
- Experience using data-driven insights to inform production and live-operations decisions.
- Background in or strong understanding of Japan’s anime, manga, and character licensing ecosystem.
About the company
Nex makes a motion-based gaming system called the Nex Playground that lets families play without traditional controllers. The core product is a hardware console with a built-in camera and a computer vision/AI system that tracks up to 18 body points, letting up to four players play games by moving their bodies instead of holding a controller. Games come bundled with the starter pack, and players can subscribe to Play Pass to access a growing catalog of over 40 titles, with new games added every month. Nex earns recurring revenue from the subscription in addition to the initial hardware sale. The Nex Playground is designed for indoor use, supports portable play with a travel case, and can operate without Wi‑Fi, making it suitable for family entertainment and active, kid-friendly play.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$192M
Headquarters
San Jose, California
Founded
2017
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- September 17, 2026 financing added over $150 million for inventory and expansion.
- Unit sales passed 1 million, while subscribers grew sevenfold in 18 months.
- UK launch is beating forecasts, signaling stronger international demand than management expected.
What critics are saying
- April 1, 2026 price hike to $299 exposes memory shortages and margin pressure.
- Germany 2026 and Japan-Korea 2027 demand flawless localization, retail execution, and support.
- If licensed-content novelty fades, Play Pass churn breaks the hardware-subscription flywheel entirely.
What makes Nex unique
- Nex Playground uses local AI vision tracking; no controllers, ads, or in-app purchases.
- September 2026 launches PAC-MAN and Dude Perfect, proving licensed family content traction.
- More than 7,000 U.S. retail locations and 60+ games create unusual family-console distribution.
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Benefits
Flexible Work Hours
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
0%1 year growth
-2%2 year growth
-3%Nex has launched PAC-MAN on NEX, a motion-controlled version of the classic arcade game for its Nex Playground active play system. The game allows players to control PAC-MAN using arm movements instead of traditional controllers, transforming the 45-year-old franchise into a physical activity experience. The release includes three game modes: Classic Mode reimagines the original gameplay with motion controls, Showdown Mode offers competitive play for up to four players, and Team Chomp Mode provides cooperative challenges for two to four players. Players can unlock themed mazes and power-ups as they progress. PAC-MAN on NEX is available exclusively through Play Pass, Nex Playground's content subscription service. The launch includes single-player mode, with multiplayer features planned to follow shortly. The collaboration with Bandai Namco Entertainment aims to introduce the iconic game to new generations whilst offering longtime fans a fresh experience.
PAC-MAN chomps onto Nex Playground. September 23, 2026 Today, Nex Playground launched PAC-MAN on NEX, a new motion-powered take on PAC-MAN(TM). Designed for Nex Playground, the game transforms the iconic Maze-chase gameplay into an active experience where players use their own movements to guide PAC-MAN through the Maze. More than 45 years after PAC-MAN first arrived in arcades, PAC-MAN on NEX gives longtime fans a new way to experience a gaming classic while introducing it to a new generation of players. Instead of using a joystick or controller, players move their arms to steer PAC-MAN through the Maze, collecting PAC-Dots, grabbing Power Pellets, and dodging Team Ghost: Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. The result keeps the familiar strategy and High-Score chasing at the heart of PAC-MAN while turning it into an active experience designed for the living room. PAC-MAN on NEX will feature three distinct game modes, giving players different ways to experience PAC-MAN on Nex Playground, from the classic Maze-chase gameplay fans know and love to new competitive and cooperative experiences designed for active family play: * Classic Mode: The original PAC-MAN experience, reimagined with motion controls. Players use arm movements to guide PAC-MAN through the Maze, collecting PAC-Dots and Fruit, grabbing Power Pellets to turn the tables on Team Ghost, and chasing a High-Score while clearing each stage. * Showdown Mode: A new, fast-paced competition where up to four players share the Maze and compete across three rounds to outlast their opponents and earn the highest score. Showdown also introduces a new Jump mechanic, allowing players to dodge Ghosts, other players, and attacks. When a player is eliminated, they return as a controllable Ghost, keeping everyone in the action until the round ends. * Team Chomp Mode: A co-op mode for two to four players that challenges families and friends to clear the Maze together. Players caught by a Ghost become trapped in a cage, leaving their teammates to race to their rescue and work together to complete the stage. Beyond the three modes, PAC-MAN on NEX gives players more to discover as they play. Progressing through Classic Mode unlocks new themed Mazes for the other game modes, transporting PAC-MAN from the familiar arcade Maze to environments inspired by jungles, oceans, desert temples, frozen tundras, and cherry blossom gardens. Showdown also introduces new power-ups - including Jelly Balloon Drop, Slime, and Speed Boost - that add new twists to the competition. "PAC-MAN is a game so many of us grew up with, which makes it especially fun to now see kids experience it in a completely different way," said David Lee, CEO and Co-Founder of Nex. "We wanted to preserve everything that makes PAC-MAN immediately recognizable while asking what the game could feel like if you could control it with your own movement and play it with the whole family. Working with Bandai Namco gave us the opportunity to turn a classic people have loved for generations into something families can rediscover together." PAC-MAN on NEX and how it reimagines the original game with motion controls and multiplayer modes is a truly innovative way to experience the arcade classic again for veteran gamers or discover the joy of it for new fans. Susan Tran, Sr. Director of Brand Development for PAC-MAN at Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. "PAC-MAN has become an ambassador for video games as an icon that crosses generational boundaries and represents the wholesome fun that games can deliver," said Susan Tran, Sr. Director of Brand Development for PAC-MAN at Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. "PAC-MAN on NEX and how it reimagines the original game with motion controls and multiplayer modes is a truly innovative way to experience the arcade classic again for veteran gamers or discover the joy of it for new fans." Players can experience PAC-MAN on NEX exclusively on Nex Playground through Play Pass, the content subscription service that unlocks the full catalog of games and experiences on Nex Playground. The game launches with single-player Classic Mode, with multiplayer experiences for up to four players planned to follow shortly after launch. Explore all games
Nex raises $150 million in new equity and debt financing. S SuperbCrew is a trusted resource for discovering innovative companies, emerging startups, and the latest technology trends. Nex, the company behind the Nex Playground active-play console, announced more than $150 million in new equity and debt financing. This Series E round supports international expansion, inventory/supply chain needs, go to market efforts, content growth, and scaling operations amid strong U.S. momentum. Nex's recent $150 million round is a Series E co-led by Baillie Gifford and BAI Capital. Participants include NBA Investments, Logitech, Medici Capital Partners, and the Raine Group. Nex also secured a new credit facility with JPMorgan. Roughly half the total is equity and half debt, reflecting the capital intensity of hardware production, inventory builds for global rollout, and higher component costs (including memory shortages affecting the broader console industry). PitchBook data indicates prior raises included a $13M Series A (2019) and $25M Series B (2021), with total capital raised reaching approximately $218M after this round (figures vary slightly by source depending on inclusion of debt or earlier rounds). The Raine Group acted as exclusive financial advisor; Wilson Sonsini provided legal counsel. Baillie Gifford highlighted the long term potential of Nex's model: a console that makes active family play easy, paired with a subscription library that builds lasting relationships and compounds value. BAI Capital noted the scalability of combining proprietary AI powered motion technology/hardware with content and recurring revenue. Nex Playground has surpassed 1 million units sold. It is available in more than 7,000 U.S. retail locations, including Costco, Sam's Club, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. The subscriber base (Play Pass) has grown sevenfold over the prior 18 months and is approaching 1 million active subscribers, with expectations to exceed that by year end 2026. This converts one-time hardware purchases into ongoing relationships through new content. The platform offers more than 60 games spanning music, sports, fitness, party, and learning, featuring licensed properties such as Bluey, Barbie, Kung Fu Panda, Peppa Pig, and others. Upcoming titles include NFL Flag, Dude Perfect Trickshot Challenge, PAC-MAN (with Bandai Namco), and additional partnerships. External developers are engaging; for example, Smoking Gun Interactive's Freefall Racers (originally a Kinect title) was adapted and quickly reached strong engagement metrics. Nex emphasizes selective partnerships focused on multi-generational accessibility, shared play, engagement, and safety (no ads, no in-app purchases). Pricing has risen over time (from an earlier ~$199-$249 range to around $299 in some markets, with UK pricing at £269 and Germany planned at €319), driven partly by component costs. An annual Play Pass subscription adds further recurring revenue. Leadership Additions Jeff Shouger joined as CFO and board member. He previously served as CFO of Niantic (where he led capital raises and helped oversee the sale of the games business to Scopely) and held senior finance roles at Zynga (including during its IPO and growth phase), with earlier experience at EA. Bing Gordon, a veteran gaming and technology executive, also joined the board. Gordon was an early Electronic Arts executive and later Chief Creative Officer, then a long time Kleiner Perkins partner focused on consumer tech and gaming; he previously served nearly 15 years on Amazon's board. CEO and co-founder David Lee described the investment as enabling Nex to become a "100-year company" by bringing active play to millions more families globally, while noting the new executives' experience building enduring businesses. President Thomas Kang has highlighted that the UK launch is beating forecasts. How will Nex use the funds? Primary uses include: * International expansion: Germany later in 2026; Japan and Korea in 2027; continued focus on the U.S., UK, and Ireland; broader Europe and Asia to follow. * Inventory, supply chain resilience, and go to market support. * Content ecosystem growth and new features such as Connected Play (enabling play across households/distances). * Scaling operations to match consumer demand. Nex positions the Playground as a controller free, AI/camera based motion system that turns passive screen time into active, multi generational family play, distinct from traditional gaming consoles and more akin to a modern evolution of Kinect/Wii-style experiences targeted at families rather than core gamers. The raise occurs against a selective investment environment in gaming and interactive entertainment, underscoring investor confidence in Nex's traction. Hardware sales have been notably strong in holiday periods (including outselling Xbox in the U.S. during parts of the 2025 holiday window in some reports), with ongoing growth in 2026. The combination of hardware reach, high subscription conversion/retention signals, licensed content pipeline, and long term oriented investors (Baillie Gifford's horizon emphasis aligns with Lee's category building view) supports ambitions to scale into a durable platform. Challenges include hardware cost pressures (memory and components), the need to sustain content depth and discovery as the library grows, licensing economics, and competition from broader entertainment platforms offering lighter party/family experiences. Analysts have noted the device occupies an additive "family/active play" niche rather than directly competing head to head for the same dollars as traditional consoles, while cautioning that continued success will depend on software/content strength as the value proposition evolves with pricing. The $150M+ package provides substantial resources for Nex to professionalize finance and governance, fortify its supply and retail footprint, accelerate geographic and feature expansion, and deepen its content and community model at a moment of proven product market fit in the family active-entertainment category. Please email SuperbCrew your feedback and news tips at hello(at)superbcrew.com
Nex raises over $150m to take Nex Playground global. Nex Playground has surpassed 1m units sold and is distributed across more than 7,000 US retail locations September 21, 2026 | Date | Type | Companies Involved | Size | | Sep 21, 2026 | investment | Nex | $150m | * The platform's subscriber base has grown sevenfold in 18 months and is approaching 1m subscribers. * Germany is planned for later this year, while Japan and Korea are targeted for 2027. Nex has raised more than $150 million in new equity and debt financing to expand the reach of its Nex Playground console across the globe. The company said it will also use the capital to broaden retail distribution and grow its content ecosystem with gaming and entertainment partners. The financing includes a Series E led by Baillie Gifford and BAI Capital, with participation from NBA Investments, Logitech, Medici Capital Partners and the Raine Group, alongside a new credit facility from JPMorgan. The financing comes after Nex Playground surpassed 1m units sold, with the system now distributed across more than 7,000 US retail locations including Costco, Sam's Club, Target, Walmart and Best Buy. Nex claims that its subscriber base has also grown sevenfold over the past 18 months and is approaching 1m subscribers, a milestone the company expects to pass by the end of 2026. Global expansion Nex Playground currently offers more than 60 games spanning music, sports, fitness, party and learning, including experiences featuring Bluey, Barbie, Kung Fu Panda and Peppa Pig. Upcoming content includes NFL Flag, Dude Perfect Trickshot Challenge and Pac-Man with Bandai Namco Entertainment. The company is also developing Connected Play, which will allow families to play together across different households and distances. Following expansion into Canada, the UK and Republic of Ireland, Germany is planned for later this year, with Japan and Korea targeted for 2027. Nex has also appointed former Niantic CFO Jeff Shouger as CFO, with Shouger and gaming industry veteran Bing Gordon joining its board. "Families have timeless needs: to move, grow, connect, and have fun," said Nex CEO and co-founder David Lee. "The response to Nex Playground has shown us that active play can serve those needs at a meaningful scale. We are building Nex to be a 100-year company. "This investment gives us the resources to bring active play to millions more families around the world, and Jeff and Bing bring extraordinary experience building enduring gaming and technology companies. I'm thrilled to have them with us for this next chapter."
Nex raises $150M+ to scale its global active-play platform. A compact game console creates a sprawling operating obligation. Nex has to manufacture hardware, win shelf space, license recognizable characters, ship new games, support a subscription, protect family trust and carry all of that into new countries without letting the experience feel stitched together. The company behind Nex Playground has announced more than $150M in new equity and debt financing to take on that job. The package includes a Series E co-led by Baillie Gifford and BAI Capital, with NBA Investments, Logitech, Medici Capital Partners and the Raine Group participating, alongside a new JPMorgan credit facility. The accounting matters. Nex did not disclose how much of the package is Series E equity or how much is debt, so the announcement should not be read as a $150M equity round. What it does reveal is the kind of company Nex is becoming: one that needs long-term capital for a consumer platform and financing capacity for the physical work of putting that platform into more homes. What Nex announced. Nex announced the financing on September 17, 2026, after company-reported sales passed 1M Nex Playground units. The system is now distributed through more than 7,000 U.S. retail locations, including Costco, Sam's Club, Target, Walmart and Best Buy. Nex also says its subscriber base has grown 7x in 18 months and is approaching 1M, a threshold the company expects to cross by year-end. Those figures describe momentum, but they remain company-reported rather than audited operating results. Nex did not disclose revenue, hardware margins, subscription churn, valuation, financing terms, ownership changes or the size of JPMorgan's credit facility. The combined amount gives the company room to expand; it does not yet show how efficiently that expansion can be carried. The leadership changes fit the same stage of the business. Co-founder and CEO David Lee will be joined by Jeff Shouger as CFO. Shouger, previously CFO at Niantic and a finance leader at Zynga, is also joining Nex's board alongside gaming executive and investor Bing Gordon. Co-founder and CTO Tony Sung continues to lead the technical side of a product that depends on computer vision, embedded hardware and software working as one experience. Why the equity-and-debt mix matters. Consumer hardware creates a different cash rhythm from pure software. Devices must be built, shipped and placed into retail channels before every sale or subscription renewal arrives. International expansion adds localization, channel relationships, support, content rights and market-specific compliance to the same operating calendar. That makes the financing structure more informative than a simple round label. Equity can support product development, content and long-horizon expansion without a fixed repayment schedule. A credit facility can add working capacity, although Nex has not disclosed its purpose, size or terms. The company is pairing both as it broadens distribution and enters more markets. The capital stack also prevents a common reading error. The more than $150M headline combines equity and debt, while the Series E amount remains undisclosed. Nex has previously announced a $4M seed, an $8.5M Series A and a $25M Series B. TechCrunch reported $40M in total funding after the 2021 Series B, but incomplete public details for later rounds make a current cumulative total unreliable. The product is a trust-controlled platform. Nex Playground uses a camera and on-device motion processing so players can control games with body movement rather than handheld controllers. Nex says motion data remains local to the device, each console includes a camera cover, and the content library is curated for families. A current TechRadar interview describes a closed system without ads, chat, in-app purchases or an open browser. That control is a product choice and a business choice. Open platforms can grow through vast creator ecosystems, advertising and microtransactions. Nex is trying to build a narrower relationship around active play, recognizable licensed content and parental confidence. Its Play Pass subscription has to make a one-time hardware purchase feel useful after the first holiday, game night or burst of novelty. The library now includes more than 60 games across sports, music, fitness, party and learning, with franchises such as Bluey, Barbie, Kung Fu Panda and Peppa Pig. Nex says its subscriber base is approaching the scale of its installed hardware base. The strategic question is whether the company can keep content fresh enough to support recurring value without weakening the controlled environment that helped earn the purchase. International expansion raises the execution standard. Nex has already expanded into Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Germany is planned for later in 2026, with Japan and Korea planned for 2027. The company is also developing Connected Play so families can play across different households, extending the product from a local living-room system into a networked experience. Each move adds an operating handoff. Hardware has to arrive on time, games need regional relevance, licensed content has to travel, support must work locally, and privacy expectations must survive new market rules. Nex's 7,000-store U.S. footprint shows that the company can move beyond direct-to-consumer distribution, but international retail makes consistency harder to preserve. The new capital can finance that complexity. It cannot erase it. Sales, subscriber growth and retail reach are evidence that Nex has found demand; the next evidence will come from retention, content economics, international execution and the durability of parental trust. What the financing changes. Nex is no longer financing a product that needs to prove a family game console can break through. More than 1M units and a national retail footprint have moved the company into a different problem: building a durable platform around the installed base while expanding the hardware operation beneath it. Baillie Gifford and BAI Capital are backing that transition through the Series E. Strategic and industry-linked participants add capital from gaming, hardware and entertainment networks, while JPMorgan's facility gives the company another financing instrument. The investor list is broad, but the operating job remains specific. The first million consoles put Nex Playground into family rooms. The more consequential work now moves between factories, retailers, game developers, licensors, subscription releases and the parents who decide whether each new piece still belongs there.