Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music'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. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
