It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
