It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – 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 increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
