Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
