BYRON BAY, NSW, AUSTRALIA AND LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, May 22, 2025 — New Canvas, the award-winning XR studio known for cinematic storytelling in virtual reality, today announces the official launch of NC Play—a bold new publishing and gaming subdivision that reimagines how immersive stories come to life beyond the headset.
NC Play is designed to expand intellectual properties (IPs) into highly accessible, story-driven game formats across browsers, mobile, and other platforms. It’s a strategic move that positions the company at the intersection of gaming, immersive entertainment, and social connection—a space undergoing massive transformation.
“We’re building on our passion for immersive and broadening our horizons in the broader interactive space. We’re expanding the ecosystem to bring more people into these story worlds through more digital touchpoints. Ultimately, NC Play makes New Canvas more agile, more scalable and better positioned to adapt to the increasingly blended worlds of gaming, entertainment and social experience,” said Nathan Anderson, Co-Founder & CEO of New Canvas.
Cross-Generational Bridge
NC Play will allow meaningful social experiences across generations. With a focus on connection, the brand is designing its flagship titles to appear recognizable, comprehensible and fun. Whether you’re a Metaverse user with a confident online presence or a PC veteran valuing narrative experiences, NC Play will deliver something for everyone.
Expanding Virtual Experiences
At its core, New Canvas prioritizes underrepresented narratives and cultural resonance; NC Play will serve the same mission. The scope of the brand’s titles will enable the company to expand to social world-building games and ports of New Canvas’ existing IPs to PC, mobile and browsers. In launching this subsidiary, the team recognizes the dynamic landscape of gaming and the need for social interaction online.
“If New Canvas is the immersive studio for cinematic XR, then NC Play is where those stories come alive in new formats—playable, social and made to be shared. With NC Play, we’re future-proofing our storytelling, while tapping into underserved global audiences that are digital-first and socially native,” said Wadooah Wali, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at New Canvas. “Our content has always been about emotional depth and connection. NC Play extends that into everyday spaces—your browser, your phone, your social connections.”
A Future-Proof Pivot for the Immersive Era
Launched at a time of tectonic shifts in digital entertainment, NC Play is more than a content extension—it's a strategic expansion. According to the 2025 ALDORA State of Play report:
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61% of gaming revenue by 2030 will come from players over 40—audiences that align with New Canvas’s emotionally driven storytelling.
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Browser-based game development is experiencing a resurgence, signaling opportunities for ad-supported models and global reach.
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There's a growing appetite for identity-rich, social-first game experiences—precisely the terrain NC Play is built to explore.
More information about NC Play, including their first title, will be revealed in the coming weeks. For press inquiries, please contact pieter@starfallpr.com
Media Kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16dWV_MAcaVLWGE8JAjv-vF-WM5pwoK0s?usp=drive_link
About NC Play
NC Play is the new games and social experience label from New Canvas. NC Play extends our award-winning immersive storytelling into new formats: browser games, avatar-led social experiences and mobile-first interactive stories. We're building joyful, accessible, emotionally resonant experiences designed for connection — whether you're deep in a headset, playing on your phone or hanging out in a digital space. Find out more at www.ncplay.co.
About New Canvas
New Canvas is a trailblazing XR media company that blends cutting-edge technology with emotionally resonant storytelling. From award-winning VR experiences to genre-bending narrative games, New Canvas creates immersive, purpose-driven entertainment for global audiences. New Canvas is a founding member of the Byron Bay XR Collective. We honour Australia’s First Nations Peoples, acknowledging the Arakwal, the traditional custodians of the Bundjalung Country, on which New Canvas was founded. For additional information, please visit: www.newcanvas.co.
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