StepManiaX

Kyle Ward’s Experience & Passion Drives Dance Games Forward

Step Revolution founder and CEO Kyle Ward has had a long career in dance games and put that experience into creating what he thinks is the best of its kind on the market – a dance stage to rival any other in the arcade.

“I’ve actually focused on dance games now for 20 years,” he said. Ward was first hired as a freelancer by Roxor Games to help produce In the Groove, which is reportedly one of the highest-earning dance games in the U.S. He’s also worked with Fun in Motion and Andamiro to revitalize and increase earnings for Pump It Up Pro and Pump It Up Jump. Additionally, he’s collaborated with Positive Gaming, Exergame Fitness and Gopher Sport to help produce iDance2 for schools and multiplayer fitness applications.

Step Revolution was initially founded in 2014 to patent and create ReRave and ReRave Plus, a touchscreen music game series for phones, tablets and amusement centers. “We took the idea of a dance game and made it possible to play with your hands.”

In 2016, the StepManiaX project was started and the first version was released in 2017.

“We wanted to start making a dance stage that solved all of the problems,” Ward explained. “I thought to myself there’s got to be a better way. The technology’s better now. This stage is full LEDs. It’s basically a light show. What separates it is the visual appeal and reliability of the hardware.”

The product uses an LED pressure-based platform that users step on to match displayed instructions to the beat of the music.

StepManiaX features a list of nearly 400 songs after starting out with 60. Ward said they add 5-6 songs each month. As a musician himself, that’s what first interested him as a consumer for these games.

“One of the reasons I like working on them is they make people move and interact with music,” he said. “We’re really lucky because I have a network of musicians I’ve known since my In the Groove days.” He noted that the original sound designer for Dance Dance Revolution has also worked on StepManiaX.

While dance games are competitive for a lot of players, Ward added: “One of the best things about a dance game, in general, is you don’t have to be a professional to enjoy it. The game is engaging and fun either way.”

With StepManiaX, the idea was originally to just build out a stage, but it quickly migrated into the need for a completely new software experience as well. The goal was to make dance games more accessible and easier to use.

“We did a lot of revisions after our initial announcement,” Ward said. One such innovation was that there’s a large touchscreen navigation that helps provide an intuitive experience.

While it’s still a traditional coin-op title – primed for arcades and FECs – StepManiaX has also had success at schools, fitness facilities and in the home market since the pandemic began. “The great thing about our game is it works in all of these environments at the same time.”

And it’s working quite well. Ward said the company is “just trying to keep up with demand.” Distributors like Betson, Player One Amusement Group, Moss Distributing, PrimeTime Amusements and UDC in the U.K. are “selling the heck out of the game,” he said. There are hundreds of the machines on location and the home market is keeping them busy too.

Ward said he thinks that most other dance games are “really inaccessible today compared to what they were,” adding that there’s not great representation in the U.S. market.

“We find that the support system for dance games has never been that great and we’ve done a really good job of making the game accessible,” he claims. “Accessibility and customer service are what’s been fueling our success and earnings. Our game is earning four to five times higher than competitors.” He added that ROI for most operators is about 18 weeks.

For players, the game is attractive because it’s easy to use – for beginners like little kids and seniors to enthusiasts who can show off their skills.

For arcade operators, it’s attractive because Step Revolution keeps parts in stock and handles technical support. Ward said the game takes 45-60 days from ordering to be at your location. Plus, he added, maintenance is minimal – yet another selling point.

To buy the game, available in standard and deluxe models, contact your local distributor. For more information, visit www.steprevolution.com and www.stepmaniax.com.