Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, 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 continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“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 for it to continue for future fans.”
