Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
