It has been 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel 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. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
