Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
