Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts 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 legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously 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 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 cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority 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 the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
