It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented 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 franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
