It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
