It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”
