Latest Gaming News

DDR Reaches 6.5 Million Shipped Worldwide

3rd December 2003, 10:26am
Konami of Europe announced today that cumulative shipments of the home music game, "Dancing Stage" (Dance Dance Revolution in the overseas markets) have reached a staggering 6.5 million units worldwide. Since the series debut, a total of 1.5 million games have shipped in the European market, 1 million in the U.S. market, and 4 million units in the Japanese market.

The original arcade version of the series made its Japanese debut in 1998, before Konami introduced the dancing series of the home version to the U.S. and the European market in 2001. As a result, Dancing Stage is an interactive game that is sweeping living rooms and arcades across the nation.

The key to Dancing Stage's ongoing success is that it combines quick reflex action with pulsating dance music for intense 'get-up-and-play' fun. Players are challenged to match their dance steps with the flashing arrows on the screen while keeping up with the high-energy beat of the music. The dancer with the highest score wins.

The title quickly became a gaming sensation due its simple concept, high energy music and fun-filled gameplay. Dancing Stage is the only game in which players move their body to upbeat tunes while allowing them room to exhibit their own innovative flare and original dance moves. The home video game version features a "Workout Mode" that allows users to track the calories they burn as they have fun getting in shape.

The workout component and interactive nature of the game have been highlighted overseas as key elements to the game's success. Additionally, the Dancing Stage series has benefited from major game/dance tournaments that have been held all over the world. The game has successfully crossed over international boundaries to win over a global fan base.

Konami is releasing Dancing Stage Fever in Europe for PlayStation 2 & PSone which features a range of European hit songs, followed by an early 2004 release of Dancing Stage Unleashed for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft will follow . The Xbox version allows players to go online and enjoy chatting as well as network competitions, raising its profile among music games on the global market.

Further expanding the company's line of innovative music games, Konami will introduce Karaoke Stage in 2004, a game that lets players enjoy karaoke on PlayStation 2 with high-quality sound. The company places it along its new axis of music games following Dancing Stage and aims to dominate the music category and increase its share in the global market.
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by Benjamin Murphy