Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late 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 larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
