It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
