It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further 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 rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
