Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
