It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, 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. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
