Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous 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 initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult 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 is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
