Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
