It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
