Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or 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,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
