Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
