Dead as Disco - La Pantera Update

1. The game, in one line

• Dead as Disco is a stylish action-brawler where every hit lands to the music. Picture Batman: Arkham-style combat crossed with the swagger of Hi-Fi Rush and the bite of Sifu - flowing, cinematic fights that play out like music videos. It is in Early Access on Steam, Overwhelmingly Positive (~97%) across roughly 8,800 reviews, priced at $24.99, and more than 500,000 players have joined the floor.
• The twist that sets it apart: the whole game runs on music, and in Infinite Disco you can bring in your own songs and fight to them. The combat is the way in. The music is why it sticks.

2. What is new right now - the La Pantera Update

This is the biggest Early Access update the game has shipped, and it is built around a brand boss battlet. Things to show:

• Dahlia, the new boss (lead with this). A pianist and dancer, a natural-born star who blooms before she burns. She fights with long, flowing combos, slips in and out of range, and dances circles around you. It is the most stylish, most demanding showdown Charlie (the character you play) has faced yet.
• A brand new sound. La Pantera is Latin heat and Spanish piano, a color the game has never worn before. It anchors five new songs - La Pantera in a Radio Edit and a heavier Boss Remix, plus Sugar and Spice, Suavemente, and Kumbala - alongside eight new Challenges.
• A stage that transforms. Dahlia's arena opens in flowers and greenery, then the beauty catches fire, and by the end you are fighting somewhere very different. She blooms, she blazes, she leaves ash behind.
• New Skill Tree with a new idol ability. Phantom Dance turns your dodge into an empowered one that leaves a damaging Pyroette in your wake. A new enemy, the Flamecho, rains fire down then closes in fast. Plus new Dance Moves, fresh cosmetics, and two new arenas (The Nightshade and Obsidian Overture).
• Infinite Disco. Dahlia, the Flamecho, and Smoking Stan all drop into Infinite Disco once you have earned them. Bring in your own songs, set your BPM, pick your arenas, and build the show you want.

And much, much more

• Burn, a new status effect that chips enemies health on every beat it's active
• Smoking Stan joins the enemy lineup and drops into Infinite Disco alongside Dahlia and the Flamecho
• Eight new Challenges to chase a better score
• New Dance Moves: Salsa Fan, Honest Hips, and Bad Boy Boogie
• New Dahlia cosmetics and collectible memorabilia
• The Encore expanded with new quests, dialogue, and speaker upgrades that turn your jukebox up as you level it
• Infinite Disco upgrades: Arena Select visual pass, new swap triggers (Dance Move, Finisher, Perfect Counter, damage taken, wave end), and pick-your-arena rotation
• Cleaner combat reads: revamped health bars and targeting, a Takedown-ready marker, perfect-window dodge lighting, and steadier music-synced counters
• Settings revamp with full controller remapping
• Leaderboards reset for the finale - the race to the top is wide open

3. The hook to lead with

"Dahlia takes the stage with our biggest boss battle yet"

• Open on Dahlia - the style, the danger, the fight. Sell the action-hero fantasy: one perfect dodge from disaster, one beat from looking incredible doing it. Then let the new Latin sound do its thing. For a VOD, put the payoff up front - a title and thumbnail that promise the boss fight or the "fight to your own song" hook will do the heavy lifting.

Bonus - we're up for an award.

• Dead as Disco is nominated for Best Early Access Game at the 2026 Golden Joystick Awards, decided entirely by public vote. If it fits your video, point viewers there: "Vote for Dead as Disco for Best Early Access Game at goldenjoysticks.com. It takes 30 seconds, and voting closes Friday, October 23." Totally optional, but every vote helps.

4. Video angles that work

These are built for longer-form video. Any one of them is a full VOD:

• The boss-fight run. A full attempt at Dahlia, the biggest and best-looking fight in the game. Blind first reactions perform well here - the stage turning from bloom to blaze is a genuine "wait, what" moment.
• First impressions / update tour. Walk your audience through what is new - Dahlia, La Pantera, the new arenas and moves. Perfect for helping lapsed players decide to jump back in.
• Bring your own song. A longer Infinite Disco session fighting to tracks you or your chat pick. On past runs the single most common comment was people naming the song they would fight to - bait that on purpose and read them out.
• The comparison. "Is this Batman: Arkham combat meets a rhythm game?" or "Sifu meets Hi-Fi Rush." Players volunteer this framing constantly, and it is your fastest filter for the right audience.
• The challenge run. Take Dahlia on the hardest way you can, or run a themed set. Great for a follow-up video and a call to action.

5. Proof points you can use

• Nominated for Best Early Access Game at the 2026 (44th) Golden Joystick Awards
• The longest-running public-voted awards in games.
• Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, ~97% across ~8,800 reviews.
• More than 500,000 players.
• 9.15 / 10 on fun and NPS +79 in the studio's own player survey (16k+ responses).
• Compared, unprompted and favorably, to Batman: Arkham, Hi-Fi Rush, and Sifu.
• Real owner quotes in the wild: "worth every penny," "best rhythm game I've ever played," "I have like 50 hours on it."

6. Do and don't (please read this part)

DO

• Lead with the fight. The combat is the entry point - get to gameplay fast.
• Name the actual boss, songs, moves, and arenas you are showing. Specific beats vague every time.
• Say players bring in / add / load / use / access their own music.
• Point people to the Steam page and mention it is in Early Access on PC.
• Dead as Disco is part of the Steam Fall Sale (Oct 1-8), so it is a great window to send your audience.

DON'T

• Don't say "download" or "import" your music. Use the words above instead.
• Don't imply co-op or multiplayer is live. It is single-player.
• Don't claim console availability. It is PC / Steam for now. (People will ask in your comments - that is fine, just don't promise it.)
• Spelling: the studio is Brain Jar, two words. Hyphens, never em dashes, in any copy.

A few things to know:

• VOD only. This campaign is strictly for video-on-demand content, specifically uploaded YouTube videos, TikToks, and Instagram Reels. Livestreams do not qualify on their own. However, if you save and publish a VOD from a YouTube livestream, it does qualify.
• Views are added up across all your qualifying videos, so more than one piece counts toward your milestones.
• Payouts stack and cap at $500 per creator. Once you hit 125,000 total views you have earned the maximum.
• Full terms, tracking, and the exact view-counting window are on the creator.gg campaign page.

**- All VODs must be tagged with #deadasdiscodahlia to qualify for inclusion in the campaign **