Retailers wary of Xmas dance-off

It’s murder on the dance floor this Christmas with at least ten new dancing games vying for shelf space.

Dance has become one of the most competitive genres since Ubisoft’s surprise hit Just Dance. Yet retail has now warned publishers to stop flooding this market, or they risk killing it off completely.

There’s a lot of interest in dance games right now – partly thanks to TV talent shows and the rise of street culture,” said HMV’s games chief Tim Ellis. However, I’d say that we all need to guard against saturating the market and potentially undermining what could be a good commercial opportunity.”

ShopTo’s purchasing director James Rowson agreed, adding: It seems like it’s the last push to ensure everyone gets some action before the genre tails off like we saw with the Guitar Hero franchise.”

But Ubisoft brand manager Rachael Grant is confident that dance games aren’t about to die off – at least not yet: Consumers will have to choose from the competition but the want is still very much present for everything dance-related in the UK of the moment.”

Microsoft’s Stephen McGill added that the rise of motion controllers makes dance games a natural transition for the market.”

DANCING QUEENS

Dance! It’s Your Stage (PQube) –Out Now
Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)–Out Now (Wii, 360)
We Dance (Nordic Games)–Out Now
Dance Central 2 (Microsoft)–October 21st
DanceStar Party (Sony)–October 21st
Get Up and Dance (OG International)–November 4th
Grease (505 Games)–November 4th
Just Dance Kids (Ubisoft)–November 4th
The Black Eyed Peas Experience (Ubisoft)–November 11th
Now! That’s What I Call Music (Tubby Games)–November 11th
Abba: You Can Dance (Ubisoft)–November 25th
Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)–December 9th (PS3)