It has been two decades after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
