It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”
