Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get 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 and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
