It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
