Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
