Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further 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 co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
