It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
