Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
