Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American 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.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
