It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
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 revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
