Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
