The first songs for rhythm game Stage Tour, a spiritual successor to Guitar Hero, have been revealed alongside a 2026 release window.
The original Guitar Hero was released in 2005. Developed by video game peripherals company RedOctane and game developers Harmonix, players could jam along to a library of their favourite tracks using a plastic guitar. The game was such a hit, Activision reportedly spent $100million acquiring the franchise. A number of sequels and spin-offs followed until the series was put on hiatus after the release of 2015’s Guitar Hero Live.
Veteran game developers revived RedOctane last year and confirmed they were working on a brand new game. “This game won’t be Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Guitar Freaks or Rock Band. This is something new,” they wrote in the ‘A Genre Worth Fighting For – Our Return To Music Rhythm Games’ blog.
They’ve now confirmed Stage Tour will launch this holiday season for “console and PC” with tracks from Babymetal, Weezer and more part of the soundtrack. Check out the full list below:
“Nothing brings people together like a killer soundtrack, and Stage Tour is turning the volume all the way up. Built to celebrate generations of music fans, the game’s officially licensed setlist blends iconic rock anthems with modern global hits spanning rock, metal, alt-rock, pop-punk, and beyond,” explained the team at RedOctane. “[This] is only an early taste of the broader Stage Tour soundtrack, bringing together artists and songs built to feel great in players’ hands, whether someone is chasing a perfect run, playing casually with friends, or discovering a new favourite track.”
“What makes this team so unique is that we’ve brought together passionate community developers, creators, players, and veteran rhythm game developers who understand why this genre matters,” added RedOctane head Simon Ebejer. “We believe that combination gives us the greatest opportunity to deliver the experience fans have been waiting for.”
Stage Tour will work with a variety of different controllers including a PC keyboard, and will feature guitar, bass, drum and vocal inputs. It will launch alongside a line-up of “purpose-built” hardware.
More information, including the game’s full tracklist and which consoles it will release on, is due this summer.
In other news, Snoop Dogg has confirmed that Tupac Shakur’s likeness will be used in Stranger Than Heaven, a new game from the creators of the Like A Dragon series.
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