Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
