It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
