It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “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 evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
