Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
