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Where It All Began...
Just Dance began as a simple staple of our childhood, originally conceived as a minigame within the 2006 Raving Rabbids game for the Wii console. The public’s overwhelmingly positive response to the minigame demonstration inspired Ubisoft to pivot directions within their game development. Ubisoft shifted its focus to create a standalone game centered entirely on dancing, which incorporated a brand-new multiplayer aspect. Just Dance emerged as a game where players mimic a dancer’s movements, with the first edition exclusively available on the Wii console. The game scores players based on the accuracy and timing of their moves, determined by the positioning of the Wii remote. The Wii’s motion-sensing remotes were a new and novel technology, and their motion sensing capabilities were necessary for the gameplay of Just Dance.
Since its launch in November of 2009, the game has become one of the most successful video game franchises of all time having sold 120 million copies worldwide. The success of Just Dance can be traced not only to the enjoyable game play but also to its strategic marketing across generations. The game features a diverse selection of music from current favorites to favorites loved by previous generations. Through this selection of music Ubisoft successfully created a game that appeals to three generations. Music included in the game released in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s ensured that Baby Boomers who were the grandparents of the game's target audience would recognize songs popular in their youth and increased the likelihood of them purchasing the game for their grandchildren. Similarly, music included from the 1980s and 1990s appealed to Generation X who were the parents of the games target audience. This music appealed to them as it would give them the opportunity to share their music with their kids in an interactive format. Recognizable pop hits created in the early 2000s captured the attention of the Millennial generation, which was the target audience for this game. We can attribute the game's popularity and success to Just Dance’s ability to target multiple generations with the content of the game. Within this website we will analyze songs from the original edition of Just Dance and why they were a good fit to target a wide range of age groups.
Below are the songs included in the original release of the game. These songs are organized by when they were popularized and to what generation they would have appealed to. Boomers (1950s, 1960s, 1970s), Generation X (1980s and 1990s), and the prime target audience young Millennials (2000s).
Legacy
Just Dance’s strategy in appealing to a broad range of people was a massive success selling over 4.3 million copies of the 2009 first edition of the game. Now the game franchise has twenty-seven editions with more on the way. Through consistently releasing new editions the game has been able to stay relevant for fifteen years. Ubisoft is far from stopping their franchise with over 120 million total copies sold. Due to the game’s initial success and continued popularity, it can be deduced that their choice in marketing and song selection led to a successful career.
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