Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
