It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders 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 similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
