Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour 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 right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
