TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,967
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Stage Tour is expected to be out late in 2026.
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For a brief period in the early 2000s, RedOctane was a big deal. It peaked in 2005 as the publisher of Guitar Hero, leading Activision to acquire it the following year, but just a few years after that the ride was over: Amidst massive market oversaturation and flagging interest among players, Activision shuttered the whole thing in 2010.
That was the end of the tale until 2025, when Embracer brought RedOctane back, with the slightly modified handle RedOctane Games, to deliver "the next evolution in rhythm gaming." Which as it turns out is not Guitar Hero but, man, it sure looks like Guitar Hero.
Okay, it's definitely more Rock Band than Guitar Hero, but RedOctane had nothing to do with Rock Band, which was developed by Harmonix after it parted ways with RedOctane following the Activision buyout. Harmonix also developed the first couple iterations of Guitar Hero, while RedOctane served as publisher and also manufactured the little guitar-shaped controllers used to play the game.
Rock Band was also very much like Guitar Hero except it had drums, so your unreliable, less-talented friends could play too. (Yes, that's a drummer joke.) The point is that as "next evolutions" go, we don't appear to be moving ahead in leaps and bounds here.
Here's Rock Band—forgive the video quality, it was 18 years ago. (God, I feel old.)
"Stage Tour is a rhythm-action game designed to blend familiar and accessible note-highway gameplay with new and exciting modern twists," the Stage Tour Steam page says, without delving into what those new and exciting modern twists might be.
"Stage Tour is poised to rekindle the flame of plastic-instrument rhythm gaming with numerous new features and gamemodes, dozens of bandmates and instruments to fit your unique style, a deep competitive spine, and an extensive roadmap of seasonal content and live events."
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
There's more to be gleaned from a blog post on the Stage Tour website, which confirms that Stage Tour is a "band game" (although it will be playable solo as well), says signups for a closed alpha test are on the way, and points to a release for the holiday season. Perhaps cognizant of how the rhythm game genre was wrung out like a wet rag the first time around, RedOctane has als...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
For a brief period in the early 2000s, RedOctane was a big deal. It peaked in 2005 as the publisher of Guitar Hero, leading Activision to acquire it the following year, but just a few years after that the ride was over: Amidst massive market oversaturation and flagging interest among players, Activision shuttered the whole thing in 2010.
That was the end of the tale until 2025, when Embracer brought RedOctane back, with the slightly modified handle RedOctane Games, to deliver "the next evolution in rhythm gaming." Which as it turns out is not Guitar Hero but, man, it sure looks like Guitar Hero.
Okay, it's definitely more Rock Band than Guitar Hero, but RedOctane had nothing to do with Rock Band, which was developed by Harmonix after it parted ways with RedOctane following the Activision buyout. Harmonix also developed the first couple iterations of Guitar Hero, while RedOctane served as publisher and also manufactured the little guitar-shaped controllers used to play the game.
Rock Band was also very much like Guitar Hero except it had drums, so your unreliable, less-talented friends could play too. (Yes, that's a drummer joke.) The point is that as "next evolutions" go, we don't appear to be moving ahead in leaps and bounds here.
Here's Rock Band—forgive the video quality, it was 18 years ago. (God, I feel old.)
"Stage Tour is a rhythm-action game designed to blend familiar and accessible note-highway gameplay with new and exciting modern twists," the Stage Tour Steam page says, without delving into what those new and exciting modern twists might be.
"Stage Tour is poised to rekindle the flame of plastic-instrument rhythm gaming with numerous new features and gamemodes, dozens of bandmates and instruments to fit your unique style, a deep competitive spine, and an extensive roadmap of seasonal content and live events."
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
There's more to be gleaned from a blog post on the Stage Tour website, which confirms that Stage Tour is a "band game" (although it will be playable solo as well), says signups for a closed alpha test are on the way, and points to a release for the holiday season. Perhaps cognizant of how the rhythm game genre was wrung out like a wet rag the first time around, RedOctane has als...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?