Marking 20 years since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.
Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”
At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the group during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, 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 studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.
DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.
Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival several years later.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”
