It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
