It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
