Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
