Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had 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 provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “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 was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further 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 performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
