It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, 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 pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
