Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
