It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
