Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear 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”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
