In a new interview featured in the May 2026 issue of Pollstar magazine, KISS founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have shed fresh light on the band’s long-anticipated avatar-driven live production, which is currently being developed for a tentative Las Vegas launch in 2028.
The project, which remains untitled, will serve as the first major U.S. venture for Sweden-based entertainment investment firm Pophouse Entertainment, co-founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus. The company is widely recognized for its groundbreaking ABBA Voyage production and its growing influence in music rights and experiential entertainment.
Founded in 2014, Pophouse closed its debut investment fund, Pophouse Fund I, in March 2025, raising more than $1.3 billion to acquire and develop music catalogs, intellectual property, and artist rights. Its deal with KISS, reportedly worth over $300 million, saw the company take control of the band’s song catalog, name, image and likeness rights — including their iconic face paint designs — as well as their share of master recordings and publishing.
When asked by Pollstar writer Katherine Turman which version of KISS will be represented in the avatar show — the current lineup or the original band — Gene Simmons made it clear the experience will center on the group’s most recognizable personas.
Simmons said: “It’s going to be the iconic face personas, The Demon, the Starchild, and so on. Who you want to place into that lineup is up to you.”
Stanley added that fans can expect a mix of material spanning the band’s entire career, along with additional surprises: “We will have all the classics through the years and some surprises.”
Simmons further teased that the setlist will not be limited to legacy material, confirming that new music is also part of the plan.
Simmons added: “You’re gonna get all that stuff, and also new songs.”
Pressed for clarification on what “new” meant in this context, Simmons was direct about the band’s creative output. He said: “Exactly what that means, written by us. We have songs done.”
The avatar project is expected to be a significant evolution from the early concept footage shown at KISS’s final concert at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023. While those early visuals portrayed stylized, superhero-like versions of the band — reportedly eight feet tall, capable of breathing fire and shooting electricity — the final production is being developed with expanded technology and a more immersive design approach.
According to BBC News reporting on the preview, the avatars were not intended as realistic recreations but rather fantasy interpretations of the band’s stage personas.
Pophouse CEO Jessica Koravos told Pollstar that the concept has evolved significantly since then.
She said: “What the crowd got to see at MSG was an early prototype of the KISS avatar concept. A lot has evolved since then — both in terms of creative concept for the show and avatar technology. We are now deep in development with a top-flight creative team headed by Thierry Coup — the team was on set last week testing out pyro effects against a new generation of LED screens to make sure we max out the KISS signature flame throwing. The show concept is a crazy 4D roller coaster ride through the hits, the comic book worlds and personas of KISS.”
In addition to the avatar show, Paul Stanley also recently confirmed the return of the band’s “KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas” event, which will once again take place in Nevada this November.
The event originally evolved from the band’s long-running cruise franchise, which spent over a decade at sea before shifting to a land-based format in Las Vegas. The 2025 edition marked a major expansion of the concept, celebrating both the band’s five-decade legacy and the 50th anniversary of the KISS Army.
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