1m dance games sold every month

The lucrative dancing game genre shows no signs of slowing down.

Over 1m dance games are sold globally every month, according to MCV research.

That includes 12m Just Dance games, over 3m copies of Michael Jackson, 2.5m copies of Microsoft’s Dance Central and 2m units of 505 Games’ Zumba Fitness.

Sequels for the latter two titles are already in the works, while Just Dance 3 will mark the series’ Xbox 360 and PS3 debut on October 11th. The original Just Dance was released in November 2009.

Ubisoft has even managed to promote the franchise in the Katy Perry ‘Last Friday Night’ music video. The footage – which has received over 26m views on YouTube – shows Perry dancing with Rebecca Black while playing Just Dance.

Meanwhile, Zumba Fitness took its fourth No.1 in the GfK Chart-Track All Formats Top 40 this week, while Just Dance 2 has held a regular spot in the Top 20 since its release.

There is clearly still life in the dance game genre and we hope this will continue for Just Dance 3,” Ubisoft brand manager Rachael Grant told MCV.

There continues to be more competition, and there’s always the risk of the market becoming so saturated that fewer products do well. But we feel confident that Just Dance has made its own unique mark on the genre.”

505’s marketing director Alison Mitchell added: Zumba is much more than a dance game. It’s success proves that hundreds of thousands of women want the latest title that resonates with their lifestyle.”