It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
