For more than four decades, PAC-MAN has been chasing ghosts, gobbling pellets and somehow never losing his place as one of gaming’s most recognizable characters.
Now, the arcade icon is preparing to get players off the couch.
Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Nex are teaming up to bring PAC-MAN to Nex Playground later this year, giving the classic gaming franchise a new motion-based twist designed around active family play.
Rather than simply recreating the maze-running experience fans have known for generations, PAC-MAN on NEX is being built specifically around movement.
Players will be encouraged to move, dodge, chase and compete together as the familiar arcade action spills into the living room.
It is a surprisingly fitting evolution for a character that has spent more than 45 years constantly on the move.
Since first arriving in arcades, PAC-MAN has grown from a simple maze game into one of gaming’s most enduring franchises, appearing across countless games, merchandise, animation and other entertainment.
More importantly, PAC-MAN has become one of those rare gaming characters able to connect several generations at once.
Parents and grandparents who first discovered the Hungry Hero inside an arcade can now share that same character with younger players through an entirely different style of play.
That multigenerational appeal is at the heart of this newest collaboration.
Nex Playground is designed around active gaming experiences that families can play together, using motion rather than traditional controllers to bring players directly into the action.
The addition of PAC-MAN also continues Nex’s growing push to bring major entertainment brands onto the platform while finding new ways to translate familiar characters into movement-driven games.
For PAC-MAN, that means turning some very familiar actions into something much more physical.
Dodging ghosts may have once required little more than a joystick and fast reflexes.
Soon, players may have to do some dodging of their own.
PAC-MAN on NEX is currently in development and will arrive on Nex Playground later this year through the platform’s Play Pass subscription service.