It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play 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 introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners 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 was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following 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 it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
