It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.
Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.
Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds a New Audience
Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence
Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months of practice.
“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.
DragonForce had already completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“We thought such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”
