It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine 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. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
