It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
