It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months 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 go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
