It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
