It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, 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 of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
