It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
