It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing 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 the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the song 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 one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was 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 derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
