It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
