It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
