It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
