It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
