Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much 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.”
