Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered 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 popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
