Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
