Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
