30 September 2024

4 Min Read

just dance

Ubisoft Partners with Soul Assembly for Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity

Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity will launch on October 15 for Meta Quest devices, bringing a fresh virtual reality experience to the Just Dance franchise. The game features 25 songs across a variety of genres, including "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen, "Bad Liar" by Selena Gomez, "Starships" by Nicki Minaj, and more. All 25 song maps have been taken from popular Just Dance maps from the past 15 years of console games and reimagined for 360-degree immersion. Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity also features a new two-handed scoring system, and a whole new way to connect with other players in the virtual Apartment, where players can dance, play basketball, and interact with items with up to six total friends.

According to Alexandre Robin, Associate Producer on Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity, creating a VR experience felt like a natural evolution for the franchise. "Innovation and exploring new ways of gaming are at the heart of Just Dance's DNA," Robin says. "We wanted to see what VR could bring to our brand and universe."

To help set Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity apart, the team focused on immersion and social interaction, leaning into their existing strengths and expertise to bring joy and positivity to the game. Robin explains that from a technical standpoint, creating a VR game doesn't differ from the process for a console - it's the design that is different. For example, in other Just Dance installments, only the right-hand movements are tracked and scored. For Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity, a level designer from Ubisoft Paris recaptured all the original choreographies to add a left-hand layer to scoring. It's the same dance, but now, both hands will count. The team also reworked the UI system to fit a 360-degree VR experience, as well as implemented features that would allow players to have fun interacting with each other, such as customizable avatars and the social hub, Dancity.

"Our main challenge with Just Dance was that we had the idea, but lacked the experience to get it right. Soul Assembly brought the experience we were missing." Robin says.

Soul Assembly is a UK-based studio known for VR games such as Drop Dead: The Cabin, Warhammer 40,000 Battle Sister, Soul Spire, and more. According to Robin, from the first meeting with Soul Assembly, the Just Dance team knew they would be the best partners for Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity.

"They've always been passionate about VR and are pioneers in the industry," says Robin. "They provided the knowledge and ideas needed to ensure our design aligned with the expectations and hopes of the VR community for a rhythm and dance game."

Just Dance 2025 Edition launches alongside Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity on October 15, continuing the franchise's commitment to annual installments that bring the hottest hits to the Just Dance universe. "Just Dance 2025 Edition offers a new batch of awesome songs and danceverses that the team has poured a lot of love and effort into creating," says Robin. "Meanwhile, Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity provides a fresh and exciting way to enjoy Just Dance's signature gameplay, 15 years after its creation. We see Just Dance as a galaxy with many things to explore."

Wishlist Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity today so you can dance the night away when it releases on October 15 for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, and Meta Quest Pro. 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).

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