Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
