Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, 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 overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
