Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band'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 AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
