It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. 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 following the classic?
“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
