It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains 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 revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
