It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Music's biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.
Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”
