Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
The studio had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
