Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames 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 selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. 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 do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
