It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money compared to their records. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
