8 Video Games That Caught Lightning In A Bottle
4. Just Dance
Whether you're a fan of the Just Dance franchise or not, it is a textbook example of a video game IP which landed at just the right time, allowing it to capture a slice of the zeitgeist and become one of the most financially successful series in gaming history.
The first Just Dance released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii in 2009, by which time the Wii had firmly established itself as the games console for families and casual players.
More to the point, the Wii got people involved who traditionally weren't interested in video games, and while Just Dance was poorly received by critics, its easy-going gameplay and peppy soundtrack made it a bonafide smash hit with the mainstream.
This momentum carried on long enough that Ubisoft kept releasing Just Dance on the Wii until 2020, believe it or not.
No other dance game has got anywhere close to replicating its success, and to hammer the point home, at present Just Dance is Ubisoft's second biggest franchise behind only Assassin's Creed, even if gamers-with-a-capital-G generally don't pay it much attention.