Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge 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, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”
