It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators 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 allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
