Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” 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 eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
