Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – 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 increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
