It has been 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so 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 were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, 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 increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders 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 in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
