Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
