It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
