It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “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 an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
