It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
