It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted 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 became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” 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 featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
