It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
