Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning 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 several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies 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 quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes 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 being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
