DANCE GAMES
(Left to right) Sony’s Alan Duncan, Tubby Games’ Neil Meredith, Nordic’s Nik Blower, Ubisoft’s Rachael Grant and Xbox’s Stephen McGill
Many play Dance Central competitively, some more casually. Finding the balance has been important. Stephen McGill, Microsoft
“ 5,000,000 3,750,000
Dancing Games Singing Games
2,500,000
Rhythm Action Games Guitar Accessory Games Other Music Games Total
1,250,000 *YTD - up to W29 2011 0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 UKIE Games chart, compiled by GFK Chart Track 46 August 12th 2011
www.mcvuk.com 2009 2010 2011*
The product and its success is yet another reminder that the market has changed so fundamentally that the definition of gaming has shifted. Microsoft, for example, launched the Xbox as a gamer’s console and proved that it ‘got’ games by delivering hardcore content. But even as this strategy was implemented, the landscape was changing. So Microsoft got serious about being less serious. Dance Central, made possible by the introduction of Kinect, has been a key product for the firm. The original was launched in November last year and a sequel is due this Christmas. Stephen McGill, director of Xbox and entertainment at Microsoft, says: “Through Kinect we have certainly opened up the Xbox brand to new audiences. We know that many play Dance Centralcompetitively for the highest score amongst their friends and that some people play more casually in a party environment.
Finding that balance has been very important for us.”
Meanwhile, the shrivelling music industry takes its cut – but wants more. And EMI has made its move.
SING WHEN YOU’RE WINNING The veteran label has teamed up with new publisher Tubby Games to create a singing and dancing game (emphasis on dancing) utilising it’s mega successful compilation brand – the result is Now That’s What I Call Music… The Game. Tubby’s strategic director Neil Meredith commented: “The brand is everything with this game. It drives the values of the product and the track list authenticity. Let’s face it, we have probably the most recognised mass market music brand.” The Wii-only game will feature tracks from the latest Nowmusic compilations and, thanks to the strength of the catalogue, will feature 15 number ones.
MUSIC GAMES ANALYSIS W29 2011
In some quarters there have been mutterings of fads and references to the demise of Guitar Heroand Rock Band– both of which, quite appropriately when you think about it, sold fast and died young. Combined sales were close to two million units in 2008 and 2009, but haven’t reached 200,000 so far in 2011. Nik Blower, sales and marketing director at We Sing and We Dance publisher Nordic Games, offers: “Games with plastic instruments are ultimately not real and once the novelty has worn off, it quickly stagnates into pattern matching. Plus, not every player can grasp the nuances of a Dual Shock controller, but everyone understands the basics of singing into a microphone.” Too true. But, whilst this universal appeal may have been bad news for lovers of the original version of ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, it has been a blessing for the games industry – and maybe the music business as well.
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