It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized 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 than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication 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 the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
