It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “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 and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” 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 from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
