It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
