It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged 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 overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
