Millions take to floor in 'Just Dance' videogame

Ubisoft on Tuesday announced that it had sold more than five million copies of the latest version of a "Just Dance" video game tailored for play on Nintendo's motion-sensing Wii consoles.

"Just Dance 2," which gets players off couches and moving to music, was released in October as the third installment in a videogame franchise that has sold a total of about 10 million units, according to Ubisoft.

"The 'Just Dance' franchise has revitalized the video game music category with consumers worldwide joining the dance movement," said Ubisoft North America senior vice president of sales and marketing Tony Key.

"The outstanding performance of 'Just Dance 2' this holiday solidifies the brand as a pop culture phenomenon."

"Just Dance 2" challenges players to mirror choreographed moves set to more than 40 songs from an array of genres including funk, rock, and pop.

"We think the dance category could be huge," Key said in an interview with AFP. "Every room you put 'Just Dance' in catches fire at a party. People love to dance."

As many as four people can play at a time, with the number doubling to eight in a dance "battle mode." The game even has a social networking page at facebook.com/justdancegame "liked" by more than 336,000 people.

"The strong performance of 'Just Dance 2' is a perfect example of the potential that can be achieved by an independent publisher like Ubisoft in delivering irresistible content for the Wii system," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime.

Ubisoft has been a longtime believer in motion controls for videogames and the potential for 3-D cameras to immerse players in the on-screen action.

The French videogame titan scored another dance game victory with the release late last year of "Michael Jackson: The Experience" title for play on Wii consoles.

The game combines late king of pop's music with his renowned dance moves, calling on players to learn and emulate the King of Pop's techniques.

Players are also able to sing along to Jackson songs including "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," and have their vocal performances rated by the game.

"Neither 'Just Dance 2' nor 'Michael Jackson: The Experience' discriminate," Key said.

"Both games combine great music, fun, competition and social interaction into one complete package that's easy for everyone in the household to enjoy."

(c) 2011 AFP