It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
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 older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone 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 is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
