It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence for many musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
