Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of 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 thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
