Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
