It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
