It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
