It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
