Marking two decades after the legendary game hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, 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 played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
Most 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 spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
