It has been two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to 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 purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
