Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
