It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
