What Happened to 'Tap Tap Revenge,' Popular Mobile 'Dance Dance Revolution' Dupe?

Close your eyes and picture it: The year is 2008. The COVID pandemic is still 12 years in the future, economic uncertainty is high, but overall, things are relatively peaceful.

For gamers, the world of the past with consoles like N64 and Sega Genesis was morphing into a wild new world that included handheld gaming consoles and a whole new realm: mobile games.

Dance Dance Revolution was wildly popular, and game developers Tapulous thought, "How can we bring the fun of DDR to the palm of your hand?" Thus, Tap Tap Revenge was born. But what happened to the beloved DDR mobile dupe? Here's what we know about the game's disappearance.

It was truly remarkable to be able to pull up a complex game like Tap Tap Revenge right in the palm of your hand. Not only did the game combine quick reflex game dynamics with eye-catching graphics, but it also managed to harness some of the biggest musical hits of the time, allowing players to get their tap on.

Within 20 days of the game's release on app stores in 2008, it had reached 1 million downloads, according to Tapulous then-CEO Bart Decrem, Tech Crunch reported at the time. They released a handful of spinoff games, incorporating different music genres and game styles, quickly taking over the genre.

But as suddenly as Tap Tap Revenge tapped its way into our hearts, it was gone in 2014. So what happened?

As the game grew through the years, the creators stayed away from an ad model mobile game, which meant that making revenue was challenging. They sold the game to Disney in 2010, and there were rumors that they had plans for endless versions of the game. But the switch to a corporate version of Tap Tap Revenge didn't seem to play well among its user base, and the game was pulled from the app store in 2014, according to an interview with an insider via @Average Joe Thoughts on YouTube.

While the original Tap Tap Revenge is gone, all hope is not lost.

These days, Tap Tap Reloaded is available through app stores, and it provides much of the original gameplay, albeit with a modern twist.

But there are other games that rose in the wake of the original DDR dupe, including Arcaea, which is an anime-styled tap-to-the-rhythm game that has mobile and Nintendo Switch versions.

And of course there's BeatStars, which has a similar concept to Tap Tap Revenge in that it includes music from all different genres and offers different packages for users who prefer certain types of music.

But like so many games that have followed in Tap Tap Revenge's footsteps, nothing beats the original. For those truly craving a throwback, Tap Tap Reloaded is your best bet. Get your fingers fit and ready to go, dial up your favorite tune, and give it a nostalgic whirl.