It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like 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, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, 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 overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
