Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
