It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain 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 continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains 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 recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
