It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
