We started making Starri in 2021. When we were still exploring what it could become, Guitar Hero creator Kai Huang challenged us with a simple question:
How will your game make players feel?
In true startup fashion, we picked a general direction and went!
We wanted players to move and groove like a star, and we chose an “outer space” theme. You move through space on a distant planet, collect star shards, and the shards unlock your journey.
That was when Starri was still a motion game on mobile.
We didn’t find our audience there. The mobile screen was too small. Starri felt much better on a big screen. At every opportunity to demo it, at Game Developers Conference, Tokyo Game Show, and elsewhere, we would connect the phone to a TV.
Nex Playground for Starri
We couldn’t find a big-screen device that could run Starri the way we wanted.
So we made one.
In a way, Nex Playground was built for Starri.
But Starri wasn’t originally built for Nex Playground. Since launch, Starri on Nex Playground still carries much of the UI and structure from its mobile era.
And yet, the love for its core gameplay has propelled Starri into one of the top games on Nex Playground. Families frequently share their Starri experiences in the community and on social media. Players come back to Nex Playground to play Starri.
It’s one of our customers’ favorite games. And mine, too.
Starri for Nex Playground
So last year, we decided to take a big step forward: rebuild Starri for Nex Playground.
A year flew by, and Starri 2.0 is coming this week!
Starri’s characters, Ria and Ari, together with the beloved Crystalpher, have been reimagined with a new look. They’re celebrating their love for rhythm and music on stage, with a crowd dancing and cheering them along.
And when Starri has a stage, we can invite some of the biggest artists on Earth to join us.
We’re starting with a bang: our collaboration with BTS is coming to Nex Playground this Q4!
We’ve also redesigned the UI to make navigating Starri’s growing library much easier. The new Starri platform gives us a foundation to build much more in the future. Profiles, leaderboards, and other major features can now make their way onto the roadmap.
More songs. More features. Superstar collaborations.
There is a lot to look forward to with Starri.
The Next Chapter
Of course, big changes can take some getting used to. We know many of you already love Starri exactly as it is today. As we always do at Nex, we’ll be listening closely to your feedback and continuing to adjust and improve.
And while Starri may look different, the things you love about it aren’t going away.
You won’t lose your progress. You can still control your environment settings. You can still hide songs. And most importantly, the core Starri experience you love is still Starri.
We hope you’ll enjoy discovering everything that’s new.
Welcome to the next chapter of Starri.