Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series 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 made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
