It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.
The majority installments came out over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
