Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO 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 because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
