Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and 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 nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of 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. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
