Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, 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 freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
