Marking two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
