Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
