Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
