Fitness game, exergame, and gamercise are terms used for video games that are also a form of exercise. Fitness games rely on technology that tracks body movement or reaction. The genre has been used to challenge the stereotype of gaming as a sedentary activity, and promoting an active lifestyle. Fitness games are seen as evolving from technology aimed at making exercise more fun.
Kuju Entertainment Ltd. is a British video game developer. The original company was Simis, formed in 1989 and purchased by Eidos Interactive in 1995. Kuju was formed in 1998 in Shalford, Surrey, England, after a management buyout of Simis from Eidos.
Zoë Mode was a subsidiary studio of Kuju Entertainment based in Brighton, England. Zoë Mode's games portfolio covered a variety of genres and comprised big-brand entertainment, original social games and innovative gameplay use of motion capture technologies such as the PlayStation EyeToy and Xbox 360 Kinect. They developed EyeToy: Play, SingStar, Disney Sing It and Zumba franchises in music and party games. Zoë Mode was also known for creating Crush, Chime and Haunt.
A Boy and His Blob is a puzzle-platform game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Majesco Entertainment. It is a re-imagining of the 1989 video game, A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia, which was originally developed by Imagineering for the NES. The game was released for the Wii in North America on October 13 and in Europe on November 6, 2009. A high-definition port of the game developed by Abstraction Games was released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on January 20, 2016. A PlayStation 3 version was made available on June 28 of the same year as a cross-purchase with the PS4 and Vita versions. Mobile ports for iOS and Android were later released worldwide on November 17 and September 26 of 2017 respectively. A Nintendo Switch version was released on November 4, 2021.
Kinect is a line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB cameras, and infrared projectors and detectors that map depth through either structured light or time of flight calculations, which can in turn be used to perform real-time gesture recognition and body skeletal detection, among other capabilities. They also contain microphones that can be used for speech recognition and voice control.
Zumba is a fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. It was founded by Colombian dancer and choreographer Beto Pérez in 2001, and by 2012, it had 110,000 locations and 12 million people taking classes weekly. Zumba is a trademark owned by Zumba Fitness, LLC.
Michael Jackson: The Experience is a music video game based on Michael Jackson's songs. It was developed and published by Ubisoft, and was released on 23 November 2010 in North America, 25 November 2010 in Australia and 26 November 2010 in Europe for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Wii. It was also released on 12 April 2011 in North America, 14 April 2011 in Australia and 15 April 2011 in Europe for PlayStation 3's PlayStation Move and Xbox 360's Kinect. The Japanese release on 8 December 2011 only revised the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii consoles. The game features many of Michael Jackson's hits, such as "Bad", "Thriller", "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Smooth Criminal", "Black or White", "The Way You Make Me Feel", etc. However, some songs like "Man in the Mirror" and "P.Y.T. " are excluded. Initial launches of the game included a limited edition replica of Jackson's sequined glove. It was later released for the Nintendo 3DS on 7 November 2011 in North America and 11 November 2011 in Europe, for iPhone and iPad on 7 December 2011 in North America and for PlayStation Vita on 15 February 2012 in North America, 22 February 2012 in Europe and 23 February 2012 in Australia. It was announced that the game would be released on Mac OS X, and iPad 2. The game sold 2 million units in two months, not including Japanese sales, making it one of the best-selling Wii title games.
Get Fit with Mel B is a fitness video game developed by Lightning Fish and released for all three major seventh-generation consoles: the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360, utilizing each console's advanced motion control accessory for fitness gameplay.
UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System is a fighting and fitness video game created by THQ. The game requires the Kinect accessory for the Xbox 360 version and the PlayStation Move and PlayStation Eye Camera for the PlayStation 3 version. There is also a Wii version that does not require any additional accessories to play.
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is a fitness game developed and published by Ubisoft. The game was released on November 4, 2010 as a launch title for Kinect, a motion tracking sensor accessory for the Xbox 360. It is a sequel to Your Shape, making it the second game in the franchise.
Zumba Fitness 2 is the second video game in the installment of the Fitness series, based on the Zumba program. It is also the sequel to Zumba Fitness (2010), later followed by Zumba Fitness Core (2012). It is developed by Zoë Mode and was published by Majesco Entertainment. It was released first on the Wii in November 2011 and then on Kinect for Xbox 360 in February 2012 under the title Zumba Fitness Rush.
The Black Eyed Peas Experience is a music video game based on songs by The Black Eyed Peas. It developed by Ubisoft Quebec for the Wii and iNiS for the Xbox 360's Kinect, published by Ubisoft and released in November 2011.
Zumba Fitness Core is the third video game in the installment of the Fitness series, based on the Zumba program. It is also the sequel Zumba Fitness 2 (2011), later followed by Zumba Fitness: World Party (2013). It is developed by Zoë Mode and published by Majesco Entertainment. It was released on 16 October 2012. Unlike previous games, the game mainly focus on the abdomen.
"Zumba" is a Latin tropical pop song written by Don Omar and is the second track from the album MTO²: New Generation (2012). The song was released digitally on October 2, 2012. It is the main song for the video game Zumba Fitness Core, which was released in October 2012 for the Kinect and Wii.
Just Dance is a rhythm game series developed and published by Ubisoft. The original Just Dance game was released on the Wii in 2009 in North America, Europe, and Australia.
Majesco Entertainment Company is an American video game publisher and distributor based in Hazlet, New Jersey. The company was founded as Majesco Sales in Edison, New Jersey in 1986, and was a privately held company until acquiring operation-less company ConnectivCorp in a reverse merger takeover, becoming its subsidiary and thus a public company on December 5, 2003. ConnectivCorp later changed its name to Majesco Holdings Inc. on April 13, 2004.
Zumba Fitness: World Party is the fourth video game in the installment of the Fitness series, with this game being the sequel to Zumba Fitness Core (2012). This game is based on the Zumba program as it was then later followed by Zumba Kids (2013). The game was developed by Zoë Mode and published by Majesco Entertainment. It was released for Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii, and Xbox One consoles in November 2013.
Just Dance 2014 is a 2013 dance rhythm game developed by Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Barcelona and published by Ubisoft. The fifth main installment of the Just Dance series, it was announced at Ubisoft's E3 2013 press event, and released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Wii U on 9 October 2013, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as a launch title on 15 November and 22 November 2013 respectively.
Alberto "Beto" Pérez, is a Colombian dancer, choreographer, businessman, and Zumba instructor. He created the exercise fitness program Zumba in the late 1990s which involves dance and aerobic exercise elements with accompanying music, specifically Latin, and associated martial arts moves, squats, lunges, and other aerobic techniques.
Zumba Kids is the fifth video game based on the Zumba program. Although Zumba Fitness: World Party (2013) is the game before this, Zumba Kids is not a part of the Fitness series, which is only from Zumba Fitness to Zumba Fitness: World Party. It was developed by Zoë Mode and published by Majesco Entertainment. It was released on 19 November 2013. It is aimed at children.
