It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
