Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure 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 Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals 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 moved more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”
