Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
