It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
