Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
