Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon 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 stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
