It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
