It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill 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 enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
