Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
