Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”