It has been 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 anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing 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. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
