Zumba Fitness proved that exercise games are still big business, and publishers expect a sales surge this month as January fitness fever hits. James Batchelor finds out what’s next for this lucrative market
SINCE Wii Fitin 2008, fitness games have established themselves as evergreen titles for a new type of gaming consumer. Zumba Fitness’ chart dominance over the summer allayed fears that the industry was losing the expanded audience cultivated by Wii Fitand Just Dance.
And it is around New Year that
workout games sales really take off. Much like in the DVD and books market, the Christmas season’s many excesses triggers a public demand for self-improvement products. Dieting guides, exercise videos and gym equipment become must-have items – and games publishers aren’t about to miss this window of opportunity. This year, games companies are using the annual fitness blitz to give their Q4 titles a second lease of life at retail.
REVAMPED WORKOUTS Microsoft, for example, has already been advertising Kinect Sports: Season Twoand Dance Central 2– games that wouldn’t be traditionally considered workout titles – as new ways to shed the pounds. “Fitness is front of mind for a lot of people in January,” explains Stephen McGill, director of Xbox and Entertainment. “We’re running an activity with a celebrity trainer to show people how they can use Kinect as part of a healthy lifestyle.
WINTER WONDERS
New Year has come and gone, and those gruelling Resolutions have been made.
With thousands looking for new ways to burn off their holiday weight, these are the titles that games publishers will be pushing throughout the next month as essential purchases.
26 January 6th 2012
“We’re very proud of the success of these games, both of which have calorie counting modes. Ubisoft’s Your Shape: Fitness Evolved franchise has also been enormously popular, so it’s fantastic to see people enjoying fitness experiences that are exclusive to Kinect.” Ubisoft’s senior PR manager Louise Marchant adds: “The first Fitness Evolvedwas the best-selling fitness title on Kinect, and we are looking to build on that success this year with a solid marketing campaign for Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012.” Even mega-seller Zumba Fitness is getting a shot in the arm with more ads planned for the sequel. “Zumbais a powerhouse of a brand throughout the world with over 10m class participants each week, so it was a natural progression to see the same success with the video game,” said 505’s senior product manager Juliette Green. “The momentum behind Zumbais certainly not going to stop.”
DANCE OFF Zumba Fitnessis a perfect storm of exercise and dancing. Could it be that its appeal is based on the popularity of dance games rather than its fitness benefits?
After all, the genre stole the thunder from Wii Fit as the industry’s blue-eyed broader market success story. And with Dance Central 2and the Just Danceseries incorporating
PlayStation Move and Kinect have expanded the possibilities for new fitness games
UFC PERSONAL TRAINER Publisher: THQ Formats: 360, PS3, Wii
This title uses routines laid out by real UFC trainers. Primarily aimed at men but THQ reports a significant number of female users.
Anything will get stale if you put out the same game time after time, but we’ve come a long way since the first fitness titles. Louise Marchant, Ubisoft
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KINECT SPORTS: SEASON TWO Publisher: Microsoft Formats: 360
Like Dance Central 2, the sequel to Kinect Sportshas been positioned as a great workout title thanks to its calorie counter.