It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
