Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag.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 band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes 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,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
