Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. 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 mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”