Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
