It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were 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 make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
