It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with 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 glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
