It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes musician Herman Li.
The band 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 recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”
