It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual 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 with new generations.”
