Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
