Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo 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 synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
