Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
