It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
