How Ubisoft’s upcoming mobile hit, Just Dance Now, will take Asia by storm

Rhythm and dancing games are a big thing in Asia. The number of Beatmania and other Bemani machines in our arcades are testament to that. But that’s also because each try at these machines costs just a few tokens. For many rhythm gamers in Asia, Ubisoft’s console hit, Just Dance, has been a source of home entertainment far out of reach.

Until this year.

At E3 2014 this year, Ubisoft announced both Just Dance 2015 and Just Dance Now, the latter being a Just Dance game for smartphones. A user simply needs a smartphone and an internet-connected screen. The screen displays the dance moves, and the phone, held in your hand, records your performance.

The five-year-old Just Dance franchise is beloved worldwide, with 50 million copies of the game sold, 6.7 million fans on Facebook, and 105 million players across the globe. And these are just the folk who can afford consoles. It makes sense to now look at another market: those who don’t have consoles.

(See: What Nintendo’s new consoles for emerging markets need to do to really succeed)

At a keynote speech at Mobile Game Asia 2014 in Singapore last Friday, Ubisoft Singapore managing director Olivier de Rotalier verbally shared that many Just Dance fans purchased consoles just for the game. Consoles and console games make for expensive purchases in Asia, a still-developing region, and getting a console just for one specific game is not a choice the financially-sound make.

Smartphones, however, are another story altogether. Smartphone penetration in Asia is going through the roof, as you can already see from this 2013 chart:

When Just Dance Now hits in September this year, everyone with a smartphone is going to have access to it. Rising 3G and 4G mobile connectivity in Asia also means that many will be able to play it anywhere they have a connection and a connecting screen.

And that’s not even the best part. de Rotalier also shared Just Dance Now’s monetization model. There will be a subscription service, where users may choose from buying a few hours’ worth of access to monthly or yearly passes, and a free-to-play, limited accessibility mode with advertisements.