Nex Playground is bringing NFL Flag football into the living room, after announcing a partnership between Nex and the National Football League that launches today.
The collaboration begins with NFL Flag Heroes, a motion-powered flag football game available exclusively on Nex Playground, the motion-tracking active play console built for kids and families. The title features all 32 NFL clubs and arrives just ahead of the start of the NFL regular season.
NFL Flag Heroes puts players in the middle of the action rather than behind a controller. Using Nex Playground’s body-tracking technology, kids throw, run, sprint and evade defenders with their own movements as they take on the roles of quarterback and team captain. Matches are built for short, high-energy sessions. Each game consists of two two-minute halves, with drives designed to produce quick plays and a “hero of the drive” moment.
Players create their own team using official NFL club logos and jerseys, then build and develop a quarterback and roster of teammates as they advance through three stages: School Field, NFL Flag Regionals and NFL Flag Champs. Each stage introduces new challenges, expanded playbooks and additional gameplay concepts. A coach-led tutorial walks new players through the fundamentals before their first match, and optional Training Days cover more advanced skills such as reading defenses, operating in space, selecting plays and running the ball. Completing matches and objectives earns cosmetics, quarterback upgrade cards, collectible teammates and other rewards.
The launch marks Nex’s third officially licensed sports title and its first with the NFL specifically, following prior partnerships tied to other leagues.
David Lee, Nex’s CEO and co-founder, said sports have “an incredible ability to bring families together.” Ed Kiang, the NFL’s VP of Interactive and Experiential Licensing, said the game is meant to draw in younger fans through motion-powered play with their favorite clubs.
The partnership arrives as flag football’s popularity has grown sharply in recent years. The sport now counts more than 4.1 million youth athletes in the U.S. alone, an increase of over 50% since 2020, and is offered at the high school level in 40 states and jurisdictions. More than 250 colleges and universities have women’s flag football programs, and the NCAA has moved toward establishing it as a national championship sport. Globally, more than 20 million people play flag football across roughly 100 countries, and the sport is scheduled to debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
NFL FLAG Heroes is available starting today through Nex Playground’s Play Pass subscription service, which unlocks the console’s full library of more than 60 active games spanning sports, dance, fitness and educational content. Nex Playground is sold at major retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club and TikTok Shop in the U.S. and Canada, as well as through Amazon U.K., Argos and Smyths Toys in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland.