Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed 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 guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases 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 children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “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 in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
