Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
