It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic 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. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
