It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality 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 similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with set to be something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
