It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. 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 participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
