Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
