Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game 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 such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving 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 from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, with set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
