It has been 20 years since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, 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 a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
