Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
