Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
