It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence
Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track 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 claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue for future fans.”
