It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented 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 groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
