Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost 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 fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, meaning 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. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
