It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the band's first record was still not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, 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 double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
