Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
