Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
