Ubisoft has announced that the Special Olympics will be hosting a fundraising campaign and raising awareness for the organisation through the use of the third-party publisher’s popular dance franchise, Just Dance.
According to a post on the Ubisoft Blog, the Special Olympics have organised a global event called “Just Dance Challenge,” which spans for three months (November 2014 to January 31th, 2015) and allows people to raise donations for the campaign. Additionally, well-known musicians have made an appearance in a promotional video (see below) for the Special Olympics event, including Jessie J, Charli XCX and Rixton.
Peter Wheeler, chief strategic properties for the Special Olympics, said he is “thrilled to team up with Ubisoft” for the upcoming fundraising campaign, while suggesting that “dance is the symbolic celebration of joy and a perfect fit for our athletes.”
“Special Olympics primarily brings people together through sports, and offering the first-ever Just Dance Challenge allows us to further spread our message of inclusion, diversity and empowerment through music, dance and gaming while at the same time, raising funds for Special Olympics,” he added.
Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft, also expressed his desire in “making the Just Dance Challenge a phenomenal success and ultimately helping to drive Special Olympics forward with its message of diversity and empowerment.”
“Just Dance has millions of fans worldwide; the game’s core DNA revolves around accessibility for everyone and above all, providing a fun game experience for players at every level,” he said. “We’re proud to bring the world’s most popular music and dance game to this important global movement.”
The latest installment, Just Dance 2015, was released last month in North America and Europe for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii and Wii U.