Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag.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 stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
