It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game 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 thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
