It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
