Why The 2020 Edition Of This Game Came To The Nintendo Wii

Though the era of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S is now fully upon us with the PS5 leading the way, the transition into the next generation of gaming will be gradual. For the time being, Microsoft and Sony will still continue to put out major releases on both their current and now-outdated systems, keeping the PS4 and Xbox One viable for the foreseeable future (despite Sony at one point insinuating that this would not be the case).

That said, both the PS3 or Xbox 360 are very much out of the picture. While the companies behind both systems remain supportive of some past technologies, these two in particular fall beyond a cut off point that has long since passed. While that fact may be obvious, by comparison, Nintendo's Wii from the very same era managed to hold onto a sliver of relevance even into the year 2020.

The Wii's continued quasi-success is thanks in large part to yearly entries into the Just Dance franchise, including an edition which was released on the Wii in late 2019.

The release of Just Dance 2020 was initially announced for the Wii among a selection of consoles standard for the time. Absent, however, from that list was the ill-fated Wii U, the subsequent system in Nintendo's console lineage. Some posts soon after went viral online explaining that Just Dance developer Ubisoft was retaining support for the system in order for the game to be playable on Wii consoles used in hospitals and rehab facilities.

Polygon then interviewed a representative from Ubisoft who did clarify that the company would donate Wii consoles and copies of Just Dance to children's hospitals. This was done because the Wii's motion controls could aid rehab patients, and also because it would generally provide patients with a fun activity. However, this public good was not the sole impetus for the game's Wii compatibility.

Simply put, the game was released on the Wii because people wanted to play it on the Wii. The representative interviewed by Polygon explained that much of that demand came from children or families with children.

Unfortunately for those families, Just Dance 2020 is supposed to be Ubisoft's last release for the Wii, ending the longtime tradition.