It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
