Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
