Marking 20 years after the legendary game first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.
Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.
Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.
“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band previously completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar
The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”
