Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
