It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
