It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to 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”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games 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 entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
