Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
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 adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was 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 renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to 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 from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
