It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers 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 the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
