Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans
Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero 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 Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
