It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
