The Opening Night Live of gamescom also saw Stage Tour take the stage, which during the show revealed its release date: December 10, at a price of 39.99 Euros (obviously excluding instruments). To accompany the announcement came a new trailer built around "Kickstart My Heart" by Mötley Crüe.

The project was born from the meeting between veterans of the first wave of musical rhythm games, RedOctane Games, established developers and creators from the community of the genre, with the declared goal of recovering everything that had made that era unforgettable while adding something new. Hence a setlist that spans six decades of music, a collection of authentic instruments and a cast of bandmates to unlock.

The most impressive number concerns the setlist: over 90 songs will be available at launch, and on the occasion of the event another 20 songs have been announced, the most substantial group shown so far, which brings the total of confirmed titles to 45. Just under half, therefore, with the rest that will be revealed progressively through the series of social events dedicated to the setlist. Among the names already certain we find The Rolling Stones with "In the Stars", Metallica with "Lux Æterna", Radiohead with "Just", The Cure with "Just Like Heaven", the Red Hot Chili Peppers with "Dani California", Mötley Crüe with "Kickstart My Heart", Paramore with "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" and Olivia Rodrigo with "ballad of a homeschooled girl".

The list continues with Avril Lavigne's "Bite Me," BABYMETAL & Electric Callboy's "RATATATA," Bad Omens' "Just Pretend," Beast in Black's "Blind and Frozen," Billy Talent's "Red Flag," the Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It," blink-182's "More Than You Know," Castle Rat's "Siren," The Clash's "I Fought the Law," The Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." "Photograph" by Def Leppard, "Rio" by Duran Duran, "Bad Habits" by Ed Sheeran with Bring Me the Horizon, "Get the Funk Out" by Extreme, "Heartbreak Feels So Good" by Fall Out Boy, "Land of Confusion" by Genesis, "Square Hammer" by Ghost, "Mimi's Delivery Service" by Good Kid, "Airhead" by Honey Revenge, "Grace" by Jeff Buckley, "The Unknowing" by Jfarrari, "Jane!" by The Long Faces, "The End" by Mammoth, "The Motherload" by Mastodon, "Tornado of Souls" by Megadeth, "Starlight" by Muse, "Do Me Like That" by The Paradox, "Broken Dreams, Inc." by Rise Against, "Psychosocial" by Slipknot, "All Star" by Smash Mouth, "In the Meantime" by Spacehog, "Terminator Oscillator" by Static-X, "...Baby One More Time" by Tenacious D, "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon, "Island in the Sun" by Weezer, "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus and "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top. A selection that brings together classics capable of defining an era and more recent anthems, to satisfy the nostalgia of those who were there and at the same time celebrate the music of the last twenty years, or the period that has passed since the genre conquered the world.

Equally substantial is the front of the instruments represented within the game. Thanks to a multi-year agreement with Gibson, Stage Tour debuts over 180 authentic guitars from the Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer brands: this is the largest collection of real instruments ever seen in a music game. We will be able to unlock them by playing, building our personal collection little by little and bringing a piece of rock history to the stage. Accompanying us will then be a roster of more than 50 bandmates, each with their own style and dedicated skins, for a total of over 150 combinations that can be unlocked at launch.

On the mode side, the philosophy is that of easy to learn and difficult to master. Alongside classics such as Quickplay and Practice, there are Judgements, focused on precision, and a Karaoke mode designed for evenings when the desire is simply to sing. The highlight, however, is the Tour Mode, an unprecedented roguelite-inspired single player experience in which we will choose our path, select bandmates and go on tour: each tour develops differently, guaranteeing almost infinite replayability to an already tested formula. More details on this mode will arrive in the weeks and months that separate us from the release.

Those who lived through the golden age of the genre will immediately feel at home holding the Guitar Controller, but the game also opens the doors to those who do not have dedicated peripherals: in addition to guitars, drums and microphones, there is full support for standard gamepads and mouse and keyboard, with note tracks made specifically for each type of input rather than simply adapted from the experience designed for the guitar. Quickplay and Judgements support up to four participants locally with any combination of Guitar Controller, Drum Controller, microphones, gamepad and mouse and keyboard, whether it's a full band or four guitars launched in unison. There is also support for cross-platform online cooperative play and online leaderboards, while the aforementioned Tour Mode can be tackled solo with both the Guitar Controller and a normal gamepad.

Moving on to reservations and peripherals, from today it is possible to add the game to your wishlist on the XBOX Store, while pre-orders in digital format will open later, with the exact date that will be communicated shortly. On the other hand, pre-orders of hardware and bundles are already active on the official website and at participating retailers: the Kramer Guitar & Game Bundle package, which combines the official Kramer Guitar Controller with the full game, starts at 139.99 Euros and, if reserved on the official website, includes as a bonus an exclusive comic made in collaboration with Dark Horse Comics. Those who aim for the full band can save money by combining multiple peripherals, for example with the Band Kit + Game Bundle offered at 314.99 Euros.

All peripherals will also be available for purchase individually: the Kramer Guitar Controller costs 114.99 Euros, the Drum Kit 209.99 Euros, the wireless microphone 29.99 Euros and the one with USB cable 19.99 Euros. Added to these is the CRKD x Stage Tour collection, which expands the offer with officially licensed Gibson guitar-shaped controllers: the Gibson Explorer 20th Anniversary Edition 8K is offered at 134.99 Euros, while the Gibson Les Paul Oxblood Edition comes at 134.99 Euros in the version compatible with XBOX Series X|S and PC and at 124.99 Euros in the multiplatform variant.

We leave you now to the trailer announcing the release date, enjoy!