It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
