Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. 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 of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
