It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
