After racking up over 300 million views and more than a million demo players, Brain Jar Games' rhythm-driven beat 'em up Dead As Disco was released in Early Access. Within a week, sales had surpassed 200,000. A great success for an exceptional game!
In Dead as Disco, the martial arts of Sifu and John Wick meet a rhythm-driven combat system that feels like a playable music video. It's a beat 'em up where every punch, kick and combo aligns with the music, resulting in fights that are not only visually impressive, but also great fun — because timing attacks to the beat feels just right. All captured by a dynamic camera.
In Dead as Disco, players take on the role of Charlie Disco, a fallen icon who has one last chance to claim back the spotlight from his ex-bandmates, who have become musical legends turned villains. Players journey through a handcrafted narrative, unravelling the mysteries of the past and unearthing the truth about who truly killed Disco by infiltrating the concerts of his seven former bandmates. These antagonists, known as Idols, have become solo stars, each representing a different musical subculture with a neon, music video aesthetic. These fights can be selected directly from the main menu and are essentially longer, multi-stage boss fights in impressive, dynamically changing levels (accompanied by music), in which players must defeat both "standard opponents" and the respective boss.
Dead As Disco © Brain Jar Games
The game combines classic third-person beat 'em up action with rhythm mechanics. Every punch, kick and combo should be executed in sync with the beat of the soundtrack, resulting in wild choreographed combat with surprisingly smooth and seamless animations. The game rewards precise timing ('on-beat' inputs) with higher damage, flashier finishers and faster ability cooldowns. However, on the lower difficulty settings, players can still progress as long as they dodge well and fight attentively, even if they are not in sync with the beat. By performing successful actions in time with the beat, players fill a meter to perform spectacular special attacks. The combat system is reminiscent of the "free-flow" system in the Batman: Arkham series, as well as in Devil May Cry and Hi-Fi Rush. Counterattacks, dodges, area-of-effect attacks and incoming attacks are clearly visualised, too. Normal attacks fill the Fever Gauge, allowing Charlie to unleash a powerful drum solo attack (cause he was the drummer of the band). Perfect dodges are also rewarded. While executing a move, a score is displayed to show how well the player is hitting the rhythm. In the menu, there is also a very handy action list to help players master the moveset.
Dead As Disco © Brain Jar Games
Each of the former bandmates has their own signature track, and as Charlie defeats Idols, his abilities grow as he can learn the signature moves of his vanquished foes. This happens in a skill tree where players can spend the currency "Fans" on upgrades and skills. In total, there are over 30 abilities. Aside from boss battles against the Idols, there is Infinite Disco, which revolves around challenges and chasing high scores. Additionally, players can customise their rock star's appearance and the Encore bar by collecting memorabilia from the past and present. In the process, the story of what really happened to the band will be unlocked.
While the game launches with an original multi-genre soundtrack of over 30 songs and a streamer-safe mode, players can also import their own music using the 'My Music' feature. Players can add custom tracks, edit music videos, and create personalised, music-synced gameplay spectacles - a feature that has already generated a lot of attention in the game's demo.
Dead As Disco © Brain Jar Games
At launch, the game features four of the seven idols as boss battles: Hemlock (a former punk rocker), Arora (a next-generation AI K-pop idol), Dex (a cybernetically enhanced metal guitarist) and Prophet (a rapper and producer). There are also Challenges, Free Play and My Music in the Infinite Disco mode, as well as Friend and Global leaderboards. Early Access is expected to last approximately one year. Brain Jar Games: "The full version of Dead as Disco will expand on the already robust Early Access experience. We plan to add additional content, such as: the completion of the narrative campaign, new boss Idols, new skills & abilities, multiplayer co-op, more accessibility features and supported languages, upgraded challenge tech & arenas, more rock star fashion & collectibles, the true end game, and even more original and licensed music. Additionally, we plan major expansions to our UGC and capture tools to allow players to build even more impressive music-matched experiences."
Dead as Disco was developed and self-published by Brain Jar Games, a fully remote game studio founded in 2024 by industry veterans from AAA studios such as Bioware, Super Evil Megacorp and Trion Worlds. The team is made up of developers from North America, Europe and Turkey. Dead as Disco is Brain Jar Games' first game. Alongside Will Cook, the founding team includes Rohan Knuckey, Krys Kozlowski, Kaitlyn Kincaid, and Marcin Deja. Currently, more than 30 employees are listed on social media. In March 2024, Brain Jar Games secured $6.7m in a seed funding round co-led by Transcend and Menlo Ventures, with participation from 1UP Ventures."We are joined by an incredible ensemble of industry leaders and former executives across gaming, music, and influencers including Harmonix, Oculus, Sony, Blizzard, Riot, Trion Worlds, Interscope, Universal Music Group, Creative Arts Agency, CohhCarnage, and Sacriel among others," the announcement read at the time.
They've hit the mark with their game by using their own IP without the help of a publisher or an existing franchise. The game attracted over 1.4 million players to the demo and racked up over 300 million views on TikTok, as players shared clips created using their own music. The game was added to over one million wishlists sold 100,000 copies within the first 48 hours of being made available on Early Access. Within a week, sales had surpassed 200,000.
Dead As Disco © Brain Jar Games
Dead As Disco was released on Steam and the Epic Games Store via Early Access on 5 May 2026, priced at $24.99 / €23.79. The price of the game is set to increase during Early Access. The official Dead As Disco soundtrack is also available on major music platforms and can be purchased as a bundle with the game. Players can continue to try out the demo, which includes an early part of the campaign, 13 playable tracks, and the ability to play custom music using the 'My Music' feature.
Dead As Disco is a stylish game that combines the intensity of a beat 'em up with the flow of a neon-drenched music video. It plays exceptionally well, boasts strong boss battle ideas, and is already highly polished in Early Access.
