It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so 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 on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
