It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames 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 selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
