Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved 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, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
