It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. 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.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
