It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to 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 Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
