Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, 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 hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
