Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
