Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
