Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
