It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists 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 songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
