It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel 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,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”