Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
