It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
