It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
