After over 13 game titles, over 140 million players, over 80 million games sold, and over 500 dances created, Ubisoft is about to pivot the Just Dance franchise to create a never-ending party in Just Dance 2023.
I was fortunate to attend a preview event for the game, and from what I saw, this new direction is exactly what the franchise needs. So get ready for what is becoming a very live game, as it launches soon: November 22, 2022.
The newest edition in this series features a new art direction, featuring immersive 3D worlds and a brand new user interface for navigating the menus. It also includes a powerful new song recommendation system and a new cross-platform-play online multiplayer mode, which allows players to play with up to five random players or their friends in online groups.
As players move up the ranks in their progression, they will gain in-game rewards, which include customizations for their dance card, another new feature in Just Dance 2023 that will show up in places like the new score screen. The dance card will allow for even more personalization through avatars, backgrounds, name badges, and the player’s alias. Emote stickers can also be unlocked with in-game points, allowing players to communicate with others in their online groups.
While all these are great additions to Just Dance, the element I am most excited about is the overall new direction they are moving into with free content updates. Starting with this game, Ubisoft states that the franchise will continue to receive regular updates that will provide “new game modes, songs, and themed seasons for years to come.”
When speaking to an Ubisoft representative about future versions of the game, they said, “Just Dance is now a dance-on-demand platform, and players will continue to see their game to evolve with new content and free updates. But there will still be a yearly release with new songs only, if players purchase future editions of the game, it will be added to that same platform.” So while they will continue to put out yearly versions of the game, you can begin to think of them as large packs of new music.
Speaking of music, Just Dance 2023 will contain 40 new songs. Here is a list of the ones confirmed so far:
- “Physical” by Dua Lipa
- “More” by K/DA Ft. Madison Beer, (G)I-DLE, Lexie Liu, Jaira Burns & Seraphine
- “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!” by Justin Timberlake
- “Love Me Land” by Zara Larsson
- “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars
- “STAY” by The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber
- “Sweet But Psycho” by Ava Max
- “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit Ft. Jess Glynne
- “If You Wanna Party” by The Just Dancers
If you don’t have enough Switch Joy-Con controllers, you can also use your mobile phone as a controller through the Just Dance Controller App, which is free on iOS and Android.
Again, Just Dance 2023 will launch on November 22, 2022, and you can find out more about it on their website — justdancegame.com
[Sources: Ubisoft representatives at private event + Ubisoft press release]
Steve is the Senior Editor of NintendoFuse and co-host of the NintendoFuse Podcast. He’s been a Nintendo gamer since age 6 and has been on staff with NintendoFuse since 2008.