It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
