Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists 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 mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
