It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
