Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
