Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following the classic?
“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”
