Just Dance: Decades of Hits designer says team creates characters without AI
Costume designer Benjamin Jouffret details the handmade, dancer-led process behind Just Dance: Decades of Hits.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
For Just Dance: Decades of Hits AI questions, costume designer and character lead Benjamin Jouffret has set out his team’s position: it is committed to creating the game’s characters without AI. In an interview with Variety, Jouffret said the work remains rooted in sketches, costume makers and performers filmed in person.
“It’s our art,” Jouffret told Variety, describing a process he said the team loves making by hand. His comments describe the character-and-costume team’s stated practice, rather than a companywide Ubisoft policy.
How are Just Dance: Decades of Hits characters made?
The route from song to screen starts with a one-day creative session, Jouffret said. The team listens to the track, watches its music video and decides what kind of performer or character belongs in the routine. It might take cues from an artist, or head in another direction entirely.
Those calls also shape each game map, including its setting and background. Artist references can feed into details for players to spot, Jouffret said, while the team decides whether the dance needs one performer, a pair, a trio or, in some cases, as many as 10 characters.
Next comes the visual work: mood boards drawn from films, videos and other media, followed by sketches and a finished design. The team then selects a dancer from its roster who fits the character and the choreographer’s plan, according to Variety.
Jouffret said a character typically takes two to three weeks to design, then about four weeks to produce. That production stretch includes fittings, hair and makeup tests, and rehearsals. Filming itself takes one day, with real dancers in handmade costumes, wigs and makeup performing against green screen before being incorporated into the game.
The clothes have a job beyond looking good. Jouffret said costumes must be usable for dancers and work with the choreography. His team previously tested 3D printing, but found the materials too heavy for comfortable movement; it now uses the method for smaller accessories with detailed elements.
A decades theme, made for movement
Jouffret told Variety that the Paris lead studio and its Shanghai partner studio make roughly 100 costumes for each installment. Costume makers and specialists contribute expertise in areas including mascots, corsets and casual clothing.
Ubisoft says Just Dance: Decades of Hits launched on Oct. 13, 2026, with music and styles spanning the 1970s through the 2020s. The publisher says its Adventure Mode follows Lyra through six decade-inspired worlds as she tries to rescue her father, Dr. Gigavolt.
Jouffret also said hundreds of costumes from the franchise’s 17-year history are kept in Paris. The team hopes they could eventually be shown in an exhibition or runway presentation, though some pieces need repairs after filming.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.