Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label.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 in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
