Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. 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 took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome 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. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
