It has been 20 years since the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects 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 thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
