It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, 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. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
