Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. 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 creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut 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 such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
