It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, 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 every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
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 recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
