It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else 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. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
