It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
