Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”
