It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had 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 of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “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 make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
