Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“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 perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”