It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
