Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took 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 go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
