Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when 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 rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
