Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel 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 aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
