Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. 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, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously 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 path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
