The Surprising Ubisoft Game That Might Outsell Watch Dogs: Legion

Thanks to performance issues at launch, things haven't been looking so great for Watch Dogs: Legion, and it looks as though things may get even worse. Watch Dogs: Legion could be outsold in the UK by an unexpected competitor: Just Dance 2021.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Just Dance 2021 was "a real breakout success for Ubisoft," and "just one week away from over-taking Watch Dogs Legion as the publisher's second biggest game of the year." This puts the popular rhythm game right behind Assassin's Creed: Valhalla within Ubisoft's 2020 catalog in terms of success. Considering the how well Valhalla's launch went, securing the number two spot is quite the achievement for the latest in the Just Dance series.

While it may seem a bit peculiar that a dancing game could outsell a major title like Watch Dogs: Legion, it's not entirely outlandish when you dig deeper. Watch Dogs: Legion initially received respectable marks from critics, but as more reviews came in, the game began to tank. Such a reception was quite a disappointment for a game that was expected to blow everyone away in 2020. As it stands, it's one of the lower-ranking next-gen launch games.

The Just Dance series, on the other hand, seems to carry a powerful presence on consoles — so much so that it managed to land a new release on the Wii in 2019 — that's 13 years after the system debuted. Not only that, but Just Dance 2020 actually sold quite well on the old console, outselling both its PS4 and Xbox One counterparts in the UK. Not long after its release, Nintendo officially bid farewell to the Wii, making Just Dance 2020 the system's final release.

Still, considering the kind of year 2020 has been, doesn't it seem rather appropriate that Just Dance 2021 would be Ubisoft's second-best seller? With so many people cooped up in isolation, stewing over all the troubling news of the world, there may be nothing more therapeutic than to simply dance your cares away. For anyone who has spent a lot of their time inactive because of the quarantine, this game may prove to be a refreshing change of pace.

Gamers everywhere are clearly looking to ring in 2021 with energetic dance moves, however, the number two spot has not yet been claimed. It does look promising for Just Dance 2021, but as GameRant's Daniel Viegas pointed out, digital sales have become more significant throughout the pandemic, and the report from GamesIndustry.biz only accounts for physical sales.