It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
