Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought 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 musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
