Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence 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 in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
