Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, 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 offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
