Gene Simmons Promises KISS' Virtual Avatars Will 'Get Better'

Though KISS fans have so far only gotten essentially a glimpse at KISS in their virtual avatar representations since the legendary band introduced their new digital era at their "End of the Road" farewell tour finale in New York City earlier this month, KISS figurehead Gene Simmons is already promising the KISS avatars will "get better."

"Today, A New Era Begins. #KISSARMY, the end is only the beginning!" KISS said in their initial Dec. 2 announcement. “KISS have been immortalized and reborn as avatars to rock forever.”

But, according to a recent quote from Simmons, there's a lot more work — and a whole lot more money — that will go into making the KISS avatars function as a top-tier all-virtual band.

"They're gonna get better, that animated stuff," Simmons said at a meet-and-greet following KISS' final in-person concert at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 2, as BraveWords reported.

The rocker added, tossing in a dollar amount, "There's so much being planned, even beyond my comprehension. But they're spending about $200 million to take it to the next level."

Glimpse Into the Making of KISS' Avatars

After KISS played "Rock and Roll All Nite" on Dec. 2 — their final (human) song of night — KISS' Paul Stanley told the crowd, "The end of this road is the beginning of another road." Moments later, the group exited that stage amid a flurry of fire.

Then, as their tune “God Gave Rock n’ Roll to You” began to play, avatars of the Demon, Starchild, Catman and Spaceman characters appeared. Fast Company noted that the effects were created using “a combination of LED screen projection, lasers, and heavy metal smoke and pyrotechnics” helping the images appear “three dimensional and much larger than life.” Meanwhile, video screens displayed the message: "A new era begins."

George Lucas’ visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic was tasked with creating the new virtual Kiss. Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which was behind the popular ABBA Voyage hologram show, will handle how, where and when the avatar version of KISS will roll out.

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