It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
