Just Dance Celebrates 15th Anniversary

2024 marks the 15^th anniversary of Just Dance, the best-selling music videogame franchise of all time. Since the first Just Dance launched on November 17, 2009, more than 30 games have been released, with more than 90 million copies sold worldwide. The latest installments include Just Dance 2025 Edition, available now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity, available on Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, and Meta Quest Pro. To celebrate 15 years of Just Dance, let's take a look back at the franchise's history.

The initial idea for Just Dance came from a minigame in Raving Rabbids TV Party, a party game released in 2008 on the Wii, where players had to mimic the Rabbids' dance moves using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

"It was one of the favorite minigames, players loved dancing along with small stick figures," says Creative Director Matthew Tomkinson. "Those small stick figures have changed a bit in shape, but they're still here in Just Dance. They are the smaller ones dancing at the bottom right of the screen."

Just Dance fit perfectly into the rise of motion gaming, requiring players to mirror the moves of dancers on screen, called coaches. Players can go head-to-head with friends and family in Challenge mode, or exercise while having fun in Workout mode. Over the years, Just Dance's visuals evolved from 2D to 3D, maps have grown more complex with more references to pop culture, and choreography has adapted to a wider range of player levels.

In addition, Just Dance coaches have become more varied in terms of body type and costumes. "Everybody's welcome in Just Dance, so we show everybody," says Alkis Argyriadis, head of music at Ubisoft and previous creative director of Just Dance. "We want to show kids, parents, whatever the age, whatever the color of skin, whatever the silhouette. It's linked to the music itself; diversity is at the heart of what music is."

Just Dance Over the Years

2009: 

Launch of the first Just Dance game on Wii. 

2010-2011: 

Just Dance 2 and Just Dance 3 introduce new features and game modes, and the series expands to other platforms such as Xbox 360 and PS3.

2012-2013: 

The series continues to grow with Just Dance 4 and Just Dance 2014, adding online multiplayer modes and ever-expanding playlists. 

2014: 

Launch of Just Dance Now, allowing players to dance using their smartphones, and Just Dance 2015.

2015-2018: 

Subsequent versions, from Just Dance 2016 to Just Dance 2019, continue to innovate with new features and improved graphics.

Along with Just Dance 2016, Just Dance Unlimited launches, an online streaming service that grants players access to a catalog of songs.

2019: 

Just Dance celebrates its 10th anniversary with Just Dance 2020, also marking the final Wii release. 

2020-2023: 

The series continues to adapt to new consoles and technologies, with versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. In 2023, Just Dance+ launches as a new subscription service with access to a growing catalogue of songs.

2024: 

Release of Just Dance 2025 Edition, celebrating 15 years of the series with 40 new songs, and Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity, bringing the series to virtual reality. Just Dance continues to expand the Just Dance+ library. 

Dive deeper into the making of Just Dance 2025 Edition in the video above, which breaks down the major steps in creating a new Just Dance game, from inspiration to user experience and more. For more on Just Dance 2025 Edition and Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity, visit justdancegame.com and stay up to date by following Just Dance on X (formerly Twitter).