Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
