It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
