Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them 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 were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music 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 automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
