Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
