Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant 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.”
