It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered 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 freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
