Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication 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 made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
