Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique 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 cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
