"Just Dance" has become a staple in the industry with annual releases and 90 million sold games. Every year, 40 new songs are added. Matthew Tomkinson, creative director, explains how the process works:
1. Song selection
No dance without a song. And it's about finding a balance between genres and what appeals to a broad audience. Matthew Tomkinson spends his days in front of YouTube, Spotify, and the American music site Billboard to keep up with current music. Colleagues at the game studio Ubisoft Paris also provide tips.
But in the end, it's my responsibility. I have the final say as creative director. It's very fun, but also a lot of pressure to ensure we have songs that players will love, he says.
Mostly it's upbeat, but there are exceptions.
We've added "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, which is slower, creating a very different atmosphere. But if we have a good creative idea behind it, it can work, he says.
2. Securing rights
Then the negotiations with music companies begin. Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish always want to be included. Madonna was finally convinced this year. Sometimes artists don't want to, or they have contracts with other games.
I would love to have Prince, but we've never managed to, says Tomkinson.
Sometimes it's a trade-off – music companies push to get a fresh artist in exchange for an established one, and sometimes it's accepted.
I won't give any examples, but yes, what you're saying has actually happened.
3. Creative process
When a song is selected, a group of department heads at "Just Dance" gather to draw up guidelines for the choreography, the appearance of the dancers, and the background.
We tell stories without words, except for the song lyrics, of course. But it's like we're creating a new music video for each song, says Tomkinson.
Then the department heads go to their teams and create choreography, costumes, and backgrounds.
4. Recording
In the 2024 edition of "Just Dance", 56 dancers and 34 choreographers participate.
"Just Dance" is made with real filming in real costumes, real dancers, in front of a green screen, says Tomkinson.
Afterwards, the green screen is replaced with a suitable background. Often, the choreography is created specifically for the game, sometimes inspired by existing choreography from, for example, the song's music video.
We even flew in Ava Max to Paris to record her performance for the game.
5. Connecting the controls
The dance movements in the game need to be compared to those of the player, which is complex. To record the movements, the dancers simply perform the choreography with the controller in hand, and the signals are recorded and then compared to the players. When using a mobile phone, the developers have used AI to translate dance into how the phone moves.
It's a very complex technology that we've developed over the years – but when you put it in the hands of players, it's super easy, there aren't even any buttons to press, says Tomkinson.
+ "Just Dance" is a game series from Ubisoft, where the goal is to dance as similar to the figures on the screen as possible.
+ The game has been released in an annual edition. The first one came out in 2009, and this year's, "Just Dance 2025 Edition", is the 16th in line.
+ More than 90 million copies of "Just Dance" have been sold, and the game series has 8 billion views on social media.
+ The game series includes over 1,500 songs, with "Telephone" (Lady Gaga ft Beyoncé), "Baby Shark" (Pinkfong JD20), and "Survivor" (Fitness version, Destiny's Child) among the most popular.
+ The game series is created by Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Shanghai, and for the latest game, 34 choreographers and 56 real dancers have participated. 13 of the choreographers also dance themselves.
