Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months 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,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
