Dance Hero!? Yes, this was nearly a thing at one point, even if it never made it out into the world. With around fifteen years having passed, and with Activision now sitting under Microsoft, it feels safe to give some context around this unreleased work. The project emerged shortly after DJ Hero 2. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock had underperformed, leading Activision to assume DJ Hero 2 would follow suit and shift marketing focus toward that year’s Call of Duty release. In reality, DJ Hero 2 reviewed well and sold around 1.2 million copies despite limited support, but Activision was chasing much bigger hits. Early pre production on DJ Hero 3 explored dance as an extension of the franchise before we pivoted toward a broader, music led concept that became Dance Hero.
The work shown here represents early concept designs produced as part of a vertical slice. I led the UI team and was responsible for defining the project’s overall tone and creative direction. I built a small, highly specialised team covering UI, motion graphics, and technical execution, which allowed us to move quickly and explore ideas in depth.
Creatively, we wanted to take a very different approach to existing dance games such as Just Dance. Rather than broad family entertainment, we aimed for something rooted in contemporary pop culture. Inspiration came from modern pop music videos and European music channels that were gaining attention at the time, particularly their bold idents, graphic overlays, and confident on-screen typography.
By comparison, Just Dance sat closer to an Asda (uk supermarket chain) or daytime radio aesthetic. That is not a criticism. It is family friendly, inoffensive entertainment for the masses. Mostly. It would be fair to say these games are largely played by young girls, with adults jumping in after a few drinks.
From a graphic design and presentation perspective, I was especially interested in the relationship between strong graphic design and 3D form. The goal was to build on what already worked in the genre, but present it with a more modern, pop driven, deliberately cool sensibility.
When viewed side by side, the intent was clear. We leaned heavily into music video language, dynamic camera movement, and visual ideas inspired by artists such as Beyoncé and Katy Perry. Pulling ideas from adjacent media and translating them into interactive experiences was something I carried over from earlier work in advertising.
When viewed side by side, the intent was clear. We leaned heavily into music video language, dynamic camera movement, and visual ideas inspired by artists such as Beyoncé and Katy Perry. Pulling ideas from adjacent media and translating them into interactive experiences was something I carried over from earlier work in advertising.
This approach extended into the front end. Real time music videos played in the background, while the UI remained bold, clean, and highly legible. Around the same time, Kinect focused titles experimented with arm movement based menu interaction. We explored some of this, but I was never particularly convinced.
Ultimately, the project was cancelled before full production. I later moved on to work on a singing game with Nintendo. While Dance Hero never shipped, it was a strong creative exploration with a talented team, and one that I believe would have brought a more contemporary and visually confident voice to the dance game genre.
Ultimately, the project was cancelled before full production. I later moved on to work on a singing game with Nintendo. While Dance Hero never shipped, it was a strong creative exploration with a talented team, and one that I believe would have brought a more contemporary and visually confident voice to the dance game genre.
