Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”