Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
