It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat 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 almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt 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 pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
