NACON has confirmed its status as a major mid-publisher and creator of standard-setting accessories.
The latest edition of Bigben Week opened its doors on Monday. This major event for the group is the perfect occasion to present its products and objectives to the media and international partners. NACON, the group’s gaming brand, held a press conference to announce all of its news and to explain how it is changing.
The last time the event was held – in 2019, due to the health crisis – BIGBEN presented its soaring ambitions for the years to come. Bigben Week is an opportunity to highlight the company’s strong growth over the last three years along with the major changes it has undergone.
AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY
NACON’s March 2020 listing on the stock market raised more than EUR100 million, reinforcing the company’s ambitions and resources.
Over the course of three years, NACON acquired no fewer than 9 studios. With the latest acquisitions of Midgar Studios and Daedalic Entertainment, a total of 16 studios have now joined the fold. The RIG brand, renowned worldwide for its premium gaming headsets, integrated NACON in March 2020, bringing all of its know-how with it. The strategy has significantly increased NACON’s weight in the video game industry, providing it with several different areas of expertise in games and accessories. This has most notably resulted in an increase in turnover, from EUR113.1 million in 2019 to EUR155.9 million today, among other consequences.
TWO EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Bigben Week is also the perfect occasion to announce the addition of new titles to NACON’s games catalogue. The studio Spiders revealed GreedFall 2, the new entry in the successful franchise, which has sold more than 2 million units. The other major new game concerns the development studio KT Racing and the next WRC, entitled ‘WRC Generations’, with a planned 13 October release.
THE MOST AMBITIOUS VIDEO GAME LINEUP EVER
Action-adventure
Some of this year’s most ambitious projects are in the action-adventure genre, including The Lord of the RingsTM: GollumTM. With a planned 2022 release, this epic experience, created by the studio Daedalic, has been revealed at Bigben Week for the first time.
On 19 May, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, the story-based RPG from the studio Big Bad Wolf will be released. It combines exploration of a variety of environments, carefully crafted dialogue, complex puzzles and a multi-branching story in which each choice has consequences.
Steelrising, the combat-oriented action RPG from the studio Spiders, has the player take on the role of the central figure in an alternative universe in which Paris trembles under the yoke of a tyrannical King. As Aegis, the player must untangle the webs of intrigue to bring an end to the madness of one man and to ensure the French Revolution reaches a triumphant conclusion. Some of the story elements in the game, scheduled for 8 September, are revealed in a story trailer: what if the French Revolution had failed? And what if King Louis XVI, gone mad, had developed an army of automats capable of stifling the people’s anger? [LINK].
Jonathan Jacques-Belletete, Creative Director of the studio Rogue Factor, is attending Bigben Week to talk about his new, recently announced project, Hell is Us. The game is pioneering a new genre, with a blend of action and exploration, requiring players to use judgement and curiosity to progress through the story.
Blood Bowl 3 (Cyanide) offers fans of the Warhammer universe and tactical games a perfect cocktail of sport, strategy and heroic fantasy.
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (ACE Team) is bringing a unique blend of exploration and unarmed combat to NACON’s action-adventure segment, in the mysterious and quirky world of Zenozoik.
Zorro The Chronicles (BKOM) marks the return of the famous vigilante in a game intended for both nostalgic parents and young players taking their first steps in action-adventure gaming. The official video game adaptation of the animated series is scheduled for release on 16 June.
Racing
Alongside the development of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown by the KT Racing teams, NACON has announced WRC Generations. The latest entry in the series, scheduled for 13 October, includes a wide range of new features, such as the introduction of hybrid cars, several engine mapping configurations and a new league system.
Sport
This year NACON is offering several disciplines, including Session: Skate Sim, a skateboard simulation with innovative gameplay, which takes the player into 90s-era skateboarding. Also on display, the cycling games Tour de France 2022 and Pro Cycling Manager 2022 are offering a glimpse of their gameplay prior to their 9 June release date.
Simulation
With Chef Life, NACON’s Simulation cornerstone features a dash of immersion and culinary creativity. The game, which incorporates official elements of the MICHELIN Guide, lets each player design their own dishes while they create and manage the restaurant of their dreams.
NEW ACCESSORIES FOR EVERY PLAYER
With the quality of NACON’s professional controllers acknowledged by a host of players around the world, the company is continuing to expand its ranges with many new additions for every console.
NACON for Xbox
NACON’s family of official peripherals for XboxSeries X|S and XboxOne, launched in 2021, have met with great success in both Europe and North America.
The range is expanding with the addition of one of the year’s star products, the DAIJA Arcade Stick, with the official Xbox version available at the end of 2022.
Cloud Gaming is a focal point for NACON, which for months has been working closely with the key players in the sector in order to offer a cutting-edge mobile gaming experience. The iOS version of the MGX-series, which is already available on Xbox and Android, will be available at the end of the year.
Among the other new items expected to reach shelves by the end of the year are the Revolution X Pro Controller, in white and camouflage versions, and brand-new versions of the Pro Compact. With 6 LEDs in completely customisable colours, the Pro Compact COLORLIGHT is among the main new NACON items available for Xbox.
NACON for PlayStation
After shipping over 5 million official controllers for PlayStation4 since the launch of the range in 2016, NACON has presented one of its first official accessories for PlayStation5: the DAIJA Arcade Stick. Versus Fighting fans already adore the PlayStation4 version for the quality of its components and design, and now the DAIJA is back with an enhanced, even more customisable version that integrates profile-creation software. Once again drawing on the expertise of French professional gamer Kayane, the brand’s ambassador, the DAIJA Arcade Stick for PlayStation5 will be available at the end of 2022. It is also compatible with PlayStation4 and PC.
NACON for Nintendo Switch
Bearing the BIGBEN brand, the Nintendo Switch family of accessories is one of the most comprehensive on the market. A wide selection of Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch Model OLED-compatible pouches is available, and many of the ones under official licence (Metroid DreadTM, The Legend of ZeldaTM, Mario Kart TM) have been presented.
RIG
RIG is a premium gaming accessory brand and a leader in tournament audio for professional gaming. NACON having acquired the bradn in 2020, RIG benefit from Nacon’s extensive experience in gaming while staying true to their brand pillars – performance, innovation and design.
RIG anticipates a huge year ahead with the launch of the PRO Series of headsets including the 300 PRO, 500 PRO and 800 PRO. During Bigben Week, press and partners will be able to learn more about the brand and get an exclusive hands-on preview of 800 PRO, the first headset from RIG to include a multi-function charging dock.
All NACON games and accessories: nacongaming.com
About NACON
NACON is a company of the BIGBEN Group founded in 2019 to optimize its know-how through strong synergies in the video game market. By bringing together its 16 development studios, the publishing of AA video games, the design and distribution of premium gaming devices, NACON focuses 20 years of expertise at the service of players. https://www.nacongaming.com/