Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
