Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought 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 a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
