It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
