It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “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 creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
