Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
