Nintendo's Wii is now 13 years old, has had two console successors in the form of the Wii U and Switch, and has even had its online store entirely closed down. Despite all of this, Ubisoft decided to release its latest party hit Just Dance 2020 on the machine, and it's very clear to see why.
The game launched worldwide last week on Wii, as well as for the trio of current systems - Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. The most recent UK gaming charts have revealed that the game has debuted in 15th place in the country's all-formats chart, and the Switch version was comfortably the most popular of the bunch, generating 55% of those sales.
That's obviously a positive statistic for Nintendo, but it gets even better. It turns out that the Wii version accounted for 21% of the game's opening week sales, with the PS4 and Xbox versions lagging behind on 14% and 10% respectively. Ubisoft recently explained its decision to release the game on Nintendo's ageing console, noting that the demand was still there from fans. It was right.
Did you pick up a copy of Just Dance 2020? Do you still play Just Dance on your Wii? Let us know in the comments below.
Ukie Games Charts©, compiled by GfK Chart-Track
Comments 33
It doesn't surprise me that there are still people out there that use the Wii for Just Dance but it does surprise me a little that there's so many that are still dedicated enough to run out and buy the new one as soon as it releases. I would have thought that most of the people still using the Wii are the type to only buy a few games in its lifetime and not pay much attention to new releases. Probably in Nintendo's best interest that this is the last Just Dance on the Wii then as maybe some of those dedicated fans will jump ships to the Switch next year if they're left without the Wii option.
If this is going to be the final game for the Wii then they should have subtitled it 'The Last Dance'. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised to see Just Dance 2021 on the Wii though.
It still prints money!
There's probably a lot of casuals/middle aged women in the UK, who still have their Wii lying around for stuff like this and Wii Fit.
5 people bought the game, 4 of them on the Wii.
It's surprising that PS4 owners would rather buy Death Stranding or Need for Speed.
@sanderev Except that doesn’t work with the statistics given in the article at all.
Alot of Nursing homes still have Wii's set up for the old folks who just wanna play Wii sports. It was the only Nintendo machine to really bring in the casuals. Grandma's, soccer moms etc. It was everywhere. Still is apparently. The Wii was huge!
I remember this news story where cops were called to a drug bust and they were supposed to arrest a guy and search his house but they were playing his Wii instead.
It should probably be pointed out the Wii U is 100% backward compatible with the Wii and this game didn’t get a Wii U release. It’s likely most of those Wii purchases are Wii U owners.
Couple that with conveying how Just Dance would even work on the Xbox or PS4. Customers know the Wii and Switch still have conventional motion control. But how would it work without Kinect and Move, and how do you explain that to customers?
This is just a better fit on Nintendo consoles, no matter how old they are
@ItsOKToBeOK I'd actually expect most of these purchases to be by people who didn't upgrade to the Wii U. Not that many people bought a Wii U in the first place and I'd say that probably a large percentage of those that did would have upgraded to the Switch by now. But that's just my guess.
The year: 2031. The latest Just Dance has sold more on the Wii than the PS7, Xbox Whatever and the Nintendo Switch Pro 3.
I think it shows that no matter how many consoles Sony and MS sold this gen, they really haven’t picked up many casual gamers.
Odd those casuals haven’t wanted to fork out three to four hundred quid to play a couple of party games and watch the iPlayer that’s available on every other device known to man at this point.
The Wii lives! This is absolutely crazy.
One would think that nursing homes and community centres would have upgraded to the Switch version by now (which supports up to 6 players and the controllers are rechargeable with long battery life). I guess government subsidies are enough to cover the latest Just Dance on Wii, but not enough to cover a Switch and four extra Joy-Con (though the Switch version also supports mobile phones as a controller via the Just Dance app).
Ubisoft says that this will be the last game on Wii, but if sales keep up, I have little doubt that the Wii will live to just dance another year. @BenAV: But that is absolutely right. It is not in Nintendo's interest for Wii support to continue as it means that they will need to continue printing proprietary discs for a single game (I can't imagine Nintendo would still be printing Wii discs for anything but Just Dance at this time!), and the fact that a portion of the market hasn't yet upgraded means less casuals on Switch (and it was the casual audience that helped the Wii and DS dominate the market during their heyday). The fact that Nintendo haven't yet released a successor to Wii Sports and Wii Fit is completely baffling. I have been itching for a new release (or hell, just port the Wii U versions over and rebrand them as "Mii Sports/Fit") since launch. The Switch would be perfect for a Wii Fit style experience.
@ItsOKToBeOK : The fact that a Wii U version isn't available may have been a contributing factor, but not enough to really drive sales to this degree. I imagine that most active Wii U users were hardcore Nintendo enthusiasts, so many would have picked up a Switch by now, and I can't imagine that many would want to downgrade by going back to the Wii version with its glorious SD visuals.
@BenAV True, but then again, a much bigger percentage of total WiiUs are still in use when compared with the percentage of Wiis in use.
I bought Just Dance 2018 on the Switch eShop a few months ago when it was heavily discounted for my 4 year old daughter. I wouldn't mind purchasing JD 2020 for her, and despite being very protective over my Switch, I'd rather buy it for that than the Wii only as holding a single joy con is easier for her than the Wiimote.
But that percentage of wiis in use is probably more than wii u's sold
How do you even play it on Xbox One? Do they have some 3rd party peripherals or is it for the long dead Kinect?
@Enigk you can play it with the Kinect or use your phone as a motion controller through wifi.
@sanderev Basic math eludes you I see.
@Silly_G I seriously doubt nursing homes upgraded, especially without Wii Sports type game
@ItsOKToBeOK "Couple that with conveying how Just Dance would even work on the Xbox or PS4."
What I want to know is how does it work on the Switch Lite since it doesn't support handheld mode?
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/11/guide_which_switch_games_dont_work_with_nintendo_switch_lite
Do you need to lay it down and buy another set of Joycon? I wonder if Lite owners purchased JD and then thought "Oh wait..."
The Wii is apparently the cancer's life support.
@yuwarite That and collectors hoping they can FINALLY have a complete Wii collection. XD
Unless Ubisoft doesn't like money we're going to see Just Dance 2021 on the Wii.
@DrkBndr Waving your phone around sounds like an expensive accident waiting to happen.
@ItsOKToBeOK
“ It’s likely most of those Wii purchases are Wii U owners”
Rrrrrrriiiight
Sad day when my Niece told me she didn't want it for Christmas anymore last year. It was a tradition of sort, like getting HESS trucks 🙄
Is it because it's a bad but only game you can buy on the Wii?
Even with Xbox Kinect and PlayStation Move support for both versions, the Wii version still stands strong which goes to show the casual love the Wii motion more.
In my household we still regularly play multiplayer GameCube games. Getting a new system doesn't have to mean getting rid of the old one.
@Silly_G Wii Fit style experience in the Switch you say? Ring Fit Adventure says hello!
It'll be 3006 and the Wii will still be getting games
@jsty3105 : I'm aware of that but both are appealing to different audiences and needs, and I'm unaware if Ring Fit tracks one's mass/progress etc. while the Wii Fit series does, and by design, is a more well-rounded package with a wide range of features, and is not a game per se (though it contains activities that can be construed as games) whereas Ring Fit is a game that incorporates exercise into the experience. I can see Ring Fit being popular with a lot of people, but it doesn't appeal to me.
Tap here to load 33 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...