It has been two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
