Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
