It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
