Stage Tour ties in Dark Horse comic & Guitar Controller

RedOctane Games has announced a Dark Horse Comics tie-in for its upcoming rhythm game Stage Tour and confirmed the game's release platforms. Attendees at San Diego Comic-Con will also be able to try the game and see a Kramer guitar controller.

Stage Tour is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, giving it a broad release across consoles and computers as RedOctane seeks to revive interest in rhythm games. The game is due in the 2026 holiday season.

The Dark Horse partnership centres on a one-shot comic set in the world of Stage Tour. The limited-edition issue will debut at San Diego Comic-Con and will also be included as a bonus with future hardware bundle pre-orders.

The comic expands the game's fictional setting through the bandmates featured in Stage Tour. Contributors include cover artist Kim Hu, writer Zoe Tunnell, artist Liana Kangas, colourist Diana Sousa and letterer Tyler Smith of Comicraft.

Jack Guinchard, Head of Marketing and Brand at RedOctane Games, said the studio chose to extend the project beyond the game itself because "Stage Tour is about bringing people together through the shared experience and love of music.

"Partnering with Dark Horse Comics allows us to expand the world of Stage Tour beyond the game itself, giving fans a fresh new way to connect with its bandmates through something exclusive that they can discover, collect and share."

Hands-on debut

At the convention, visitors will be able to play a closed alpha build on custom arcade cabinets developed with Paradox Arcades. The demo includes previously announced songs and reflects gameplay changes made after feedback from IGN Live attendees and closed alpha testers.

RedOctane will also show pre-production demo units of an officially licensed Kramer Guitar Controller for Stage Tour. The hardware uses Kramer's familiar guitar design and forms part of RedOctane's broader instrument partnership with Gibson, which also covers Gibson and Epiphone brands.

The hardware matters because rhythm games have often depended on specialist controllers to recreate the appeal of older titles such as Guitar Hero. RedOctane was founded in 2025 by creators of Guitar Hero and DJ Hero, alongside hardware specialists and members of the rhythm gaming community.

Soundtrack list

Alongside the comic and hardware announcements, RedOctane updated the confirmed soundtrack for Stage Tour. The current list stands at 16 tracks spanning rock, metal, alternative and pop-punk, with songs from acts including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Paramore, Slipknot, Avril Lavigne, Ghost and Rise Against.

The songs announced so far are "RATATATA" by BABYMETAL & Electric Callboy, "Get The Funk Out" by Extreme, "Square Hammer" by Ghost, "Mimi's Delivery Service" by Good Kid, "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Terminator Oscillator" by Static-X, "Island In The Sun" by Weezer, "Bite Me" by Avril Lavigne, "Airhead" by Honey Revenge, "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" by Paramore, "The Unknowing" by Jfarrari, "Jane!" by The Long Faces, "Do Me Like That" by The Paradox, "Siren" by Castle Rat, "Broken Dreams Inc." by Rise Against and "Psychosocial" by Slipknot.

Those songs represent only part of the launch soundtrack. The mix suggests the studio is targeting both players who remember the genre's earlier peak and younger audiences drawn to newer artists and online music communities.

Genre return

Stage Tour is built around five-fret rhythm gameplay and lets players perform on guitar, bass, drums or vocals. It supports several input options, including guitar controllers, drum kit controllers, microphones, standard gamepads and keyboards.

According to RedOctane, the game also includes band formation, progression systems, customisation and multiple play modes. Those elements suggest an attempt to combine the familiar format of legacy rhythm titles with systems designed to keep players engaged for longer.

Dark Horse brings a recognised comics brand to the effort. Founded in 1986, the publisher is known for original works including Hellboy, Sin City, The Umbrella Academy and Black Hammer, as well as licensed books tied to film, television and games.

Both RedOctane and Dark Horse sit within the wider Embracer group, though they operate in different parts of the business. That link gives RedOctane access to an established comics publisher as it builds the identity of its first title.

For a studio launching its debut game, the combination of software, licensed music, branded instrument hardware and a printed comic points to a broader commercial strategy than a standard digital release. The test will come when players decide whether nostalgia for rhythm games can translate into demand for new hardware and a new franchise on modern consoles and PC.

Stage Tour is being developed by a team that includes veteran creators from Guitar Hero and DJ Hero, alongside members of the rhythm gaming community.