Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with 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. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. 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 those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
