It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators 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 in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
