Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
