It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to 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 Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
