Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units 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 dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
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? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
