Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with 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 our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
