Marking two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has nailed the epic lengthy 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 scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
