Nexus Studios at SXSW 2026

As we hang up our cowboy hats for another year, we’re reflecting on an inspiring few days at SXSW at a time of rapid change across tech, film, entertainment, sports and beyond.

Sharing the stage across two panels with some of the key voices shaping these spaces was truly energising. For those who weren’t lucky enough to be in the room, we wanted to share some standout insights that emerged from the discussions.

With new audiences and ways of engaging, sports fandom is exploding right now. It’s no wonder the room was packed. With the inimitable Devon Fox teeing off the session we knew we were in good hands, and this world-class team of panelists jumped into a meaningful discussion on how new tools and diverse formats are connecting with more fans in deeper ways.

Technology and innovation formed a major part of this conversation yet, early on, the panelists agreed that technology for technology’s sake was never going to cut it.

With this positioned as a north star, the panelists weighed in on how advancements in VR, AI, Shared Reality and more are reshaping the fan experience. Speaking on VR, Ryan Dornbusch highlighted the format’s sense of presence and joy of watching sports courtside from the comfort of your home, “It’s a magical experience and entirely different than watching it on television. You have that point of intimacy with the game play and it changes all the rules and expectations that you have as a sports fan.”

In this way, personalisation is reshaping how fans connect to stories. At PGA, for example, AI and automation enable round recaps and player stories, while Meta’s Ray-Ban Wearables deploy AI to enhance user-generated content. Expanding on these ideas, Lauren Fisher also considered that “personalisation isn’t about scale, it’s about depth.” With technologies enabling the production of more content than ever, the focus should also shift to how to ensure this content adds real value and meaningful insights into the subjects of these stories.

Throughout the discussion, it became clear that, as Deborah Casswell put it, “the action that’s happening on the court or the pitch or the field today is a part of a bigger story.” Sports are increasingly intertwined with culture, allowing events and stories to exist within broader moments. Deborah continued, “if you can set the table with a little bit of cultural context it electrifies the experience for the fan,” pointing to Nexus Studios’ celebration of the Mexican fighting spirit for UFC Noche at Sphere as an example.

This insightful and wide-ranging panel highlighted how sports storytelling is evolving rapidly, reshaping who stories focus on, who they connect with, and how they’re told. As technology drives the medium forward, sport is becoming increasingly intertwined with culture, drawing athletes and fans ever closer to the story.

XR and Shared Reality are ready to move into the mainstream, and SXSW offered a glimpse into what that future might hold. With Deborah Casswell guiding the conversation, the panel explored how studios, platforms, and experience makers are bringing audiences closer to stories than ever.

The panelists emphasised that as stories move beyond the screen, they become more immersive and emotionally resonant. This creates new opportunities to build on audiences’ existing relationships with stories—making the potential for established IP enormous. But, expanding beloved IP does come with challenges: creators and rights holders must tap into existing fandoms without alienating them, enhancing the experience while respecting the integrity of the original work.

To this point, Alexis Scalice explained that at Cosm, “the film is the hero.” Speaking on the audience reception to The Matrix, she added, “I think the best compliment we got is: ‘I’ve seen this movie a hundred times, but I feel like I’ve seen it for the first time.’”

Connecting with fanbases and listening to their feedback—both positive and negative—is essential as these mediums continue to mature. Technology can be novel and eye-catching, attracting early adopters, but as Eric Kreuger pointed out, mainstream adoption requires approachability for a broader audience, “I always use my parents in their 70s as a benchmark – if they can’t use it, it probably won’t fly,” he said.

While challenges remain in scaling XR and Shared Reality, Kreuger takes an optimistic view. He believes that so much work is already underway across digital production for different formats, so “all the pieces are there already; it’s just about building the bridges.” Rethinking pipelines, combined with tech-enabled efficiencies through AI, points to an exciting path forward.

For all the immersion and storytelling potential these formats offer, it was clear that these barriers will be overcome, with strong appetite from both creators and fans. As Candice Afia summed it up, “Any time I’ve talked to directors about this new medium, they say, ‘I can’t wait to get my hands on that camera.’” This underscores the potential not only to enhance existing IP but also to create entirely new worlds.

An exciting future awaits, where XR and Shared Reality sit alongside experiences like 3D or IMAX as part of multiformat releases. These experiences can, as Eric notes, “meet the audience where they’re at, rather than putting them in whatever box we want them to be in,” and give people meaningful ways to engage on their own terms.

As SXSW showed, the intersections of technology, storytelling, and fandom are evolving faster than ever. We loved being part of these conversations and are inspired to keep pushing the boundaries of how stories are told and experienced.

Thanks Austin, see you next year!