Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles 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 each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
