It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
