It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on 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 well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”