Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched in North America, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.
Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.
Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
