controller projects. As a member of the prestigious Aegis team, he regularly takes part in the biggest international tournaments, such as the EVO or the Capcom Pro Tour. His expertise in the field, his keen understanding of the requirements of professional gamers and his vision of competitive gaming are invaluable assets when it comes to designing high- performance products tailored to the needs of the esports scene.
Were your first party partners on board with the controller having a built- in screen? We work directly with our first-party partners on every aspect of our officially licensed products. We systematically make innovative proposals, which give rise to constructive and stimulating exchanges. These discussions fuel our thinking and help us to push back the limits of the functionalities we propose. In the case of integrating the screen into our controller, we obtained the approval and support of Xbox, who validated this innovation and assisted us in its development to ensure the highest quality product for gamers.
Is the screen mostly a reaction to the fact a lot of people don’t want to install bespoke apps for gadgets? The screen has been designed in response to demand from gamers looking for a plug and play solution, enabling them to customize certain controls and activate specific modes directly on the controller, without having to install an additional application or create specific profiles.
Do you think the er, ‘economic uncertainty’ at the minute is likely to affect the premium controller market at all? There are more and more demanding gamers, and they continue to look for quality and performance, and that’s precisely what we offer with our controllers. We believe that this demand will remain intact, even in the
face of the current economic uncertainty.
What are the areas where you hope to expand NACON in the near future? In the near future, one of our major areas of development will be the world of racing simulation, with the launch of our REVOSIM brand. This initiative marks our entry into the highly demanding SimRacing steering wheel market, a fast-growing segment in which we aim to bring real added value thanks to our expertise in performance, ergonomics and software integration. At the same time, we are strengthening our control over our value
chain with the creation of NACON Industries. We’ve long mastered the development and distribution of gaming accessories. However, we lacked the production dimension. That’s why, in December 2024, we launched this structuring industrial project, with the laying of the foundation stone for our own factory in France. This ambitious project aims to repatriate the manufacturing of some of our products to France. It represents a real challenge, but also an exciting industrial adventure that will support our long-term strategy, particularly interms of CSR and development. We look forward to sharing more with you.
Next up is Jack Reynolds, Global Brand Director at RIG (an audio peripherals manufacturer that NACON acquired back in 2020) to tell Vince Pavey all about what makes them stand out among all the noise
How do you separate RIG from its competition in the gaming audio market? Foremost, we distinguish RIG from the competition by delivering on our product promise. That promise is excellent audio uniquely combined with lightweight comfort and unmatched reliability.
What were the challenges in trying to establish RIG? RIG was developed inside an enterprise headset corporation, Plantronics, known for its mission-critical headsets, which are designed for business applications, aviation, NASA, and the U.S. military. While RIG benefited from the acoustic and engineering expertise of Plantronics, the brand struggled to receive internal attention, making it difficult to deliver products on timelines required by the consumer market, not-to-mention the expectation of gamers.
What have been the advantages of becoming a part of NACON? NACON is a pure gaming brand, delivering games and accessories
to an audience of gamers. The advantages of joining NACON are countless, but the alignment of goals and marketing synergies between RIG and NACON stand out to me.
What are the focuses of the RIG product range, and how did you decide those priorities? When RIG was at its inception, the majority of gaming headsets were simply modified music headphones with mic booms not designed to be worn for extended gaming sessions. RIG was developed to be the first ground-up gaming headset focused on comfort. Our original thesis for RIG was that comfort leads to greater focus, and greater focus leads to better scores.
How do you make sure marathon gaming sessions wearing your headsets are comfortable? We developed the RIG Snap-Fit system to ensure all of our headsets are lightweight and comfortable. The core of Snap-Fit is a single-piece, virtually unbreakable headband.
April/May 2025 MCV/DEVELOP | 19
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