It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
