Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band 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 recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
