It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with 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 played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
