It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers 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 in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
