Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single 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, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of something 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 prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
